Bleach: Omniverse Volume II
by Bigby the Big Bad Wolf
Summary: Seventeen months have passed since Ben's adventures in the Bleach-verse. But Ben finds himself back when a new threat appears. Now Ben must face the sinister Vandenreich. Does the wielder of the Omnitrix have it takes to stop them? Eventual BenxHarribel. Haters only motivate me to write better.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Ben 10 and Bleach do not belong to me.**

**Well, everyone. Here it is. The first chapter of Bleach: Omniverse Volume II. Enjoy!**

**Special thanks to Pyromania101 and Kamen Rider Chrome.**

**Prologue: The Return**

Nelliel ran across the desert sands of Hueco Mundo as fast as she could. Her Fraccion, Pesche and Dondochakka, were right behind her.

"Nelliel-sama!" Pesche cried frantically. "They're gaining on us!"

"I know!" Nelliel called back to him. "Hurry, you two!"

It had happened so fast. The invaders came out of nowhere, slaughtering Hollows left and right. Nelliel knew right away they weren't Shinigami, but something else. And they were powerful.

"They're getting closer!" Dondochakka cried.

Harribel had told Nelliel to get help while she tried to hold the invaders off. Nelliel wanted to believe her successor stood a chance, but what could even Harribel do against so many strong fighters? Fear for her friend, for they had become friends over the months, fueled Nelliel's determination.

Suddenly Pesche and Dondochakka stopped. Nelliel looked back at them.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded.

"Go on ahead, Nelliel-sama," Pesche said grimly.

"We'll hold them off for as long as we can." Dondochakka added.

Nelliel's eyes widened. "No!" She had already lost enough friends; she didn't want to lose them too.

"You're our only hope, Nelliel-sama!" Pesche said as he drew his blade. "Go on!"

"We believe in you!" Dondochakka told her.

Nelliel tried to fight the tears that were beginning to form. "I'll come back for you!" she choked as she formed a Garganta. "I promise!"

"We know, Nelliel-sama!" Pesche and Dondochakka both said at the same time. "Now go!"

The tears poured freely and Nelliel jumped into the Garganta. Pesche and Dondochakka readied themselves.

"Dondochakka," Pesche said in all seriousness. "If we don't get out of this…it's been an honor to serve Nelliel-sama alongside you."

Dondochakka gave a faint smile. "The feeling is mutual, old friend."

Suddenly they found themselves surrounded by figures in white uniforms. Different ones from the uniforms the Arrancar wore.

"Where is your leader?" one of them demanded.

Rather than answer, Pesche and Dondochakka let out a battle cry as they flung themselves at their enemies. They knew Nelliel-sama would return and bring back help to free Hueco Mundo. They just knew it.

* * *

As Nelliel ran through the Garganta to reach her destination, only one thought was on her mind.

_Ichigo! Ben! Help us!_

* * *

Ben Tennyson figured he should be used to this kind of thing by now. How many times had he saved the planet Earth from the threat of invasion? Vilgax, the Highbreed, the Incurseans, and now here Ben was, saving Bellwood, if not the whole world, from the threat of invasion from one of his wackier enemies: Dr. Animo.

Quite frankly, Ben wasn't sure how the quack doctor got back into the Null Void to build up an army right under the nose of practically everyone. But right now Ben was facing Dr. Animo, who was calling himself D'Void again, and his forces.

"At long last," D'Void said as he stood on top of a Null Guardian, clad in some kind of battle suit. "The world will come to know the true power of D'Void!"

"Will you just pick a name and stick with it?" Ben asked, crossing his arms. Seriously, Dr. Animo _used _to be a threat but now he was just a pathetic ham.

"Mock me all you want, Ben Tennyson!" D'Void snapped. "But you will fall soon enough."

"Seriously," Kevin Levin said as he absorbed the metal from his car. "That guy _really_ needs a new hobby."

Rook Blonko readied his Proto-Tool. "Given my past experiences with Dr. Animo, I am impressed that he was able to create such an army without the Plumbers knowing."

"Animo is one of our oldest foes," Gwen Tennyson said as she gathered mana around her hands. "But…how much of a threat he is really depends on the day."

"Doesn't matter," Ben said with a grin as he activated the Omnitrix. "'Cause he's going down one way or another."

D'Void smirked wickedly. "Attack!" He ordered his forces.

The battle for Bellwood had begun.

The Null Guardians swarmed everywhere. Ben slammed the dial down and transformed into Shocksquatch, unleashing bolts of lightning on the oncoming Null Guardians. The creatures shrieked in pain as they started dropping like flies. Unfortunately for them, there was plenty more where that came from. Gwen started firing mana disks at more of the Null Guardians, Rook was firing with his Proto-Tool, and Kevin smashed a hammer fist against any Guardian that got too close.

"I really gotta get me some long ranged weapons," Kevin said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ben's propaganda nemesis, Will Harangue, was covering the battle live.

"This is Will Harangue of the Will Harangue Nation," the obnoxious newsman said to camera crew. "We are here live to witness the devastation that is being caused by Ben Tennyson. Haven't we put up with this menace long enough? It's time we…"

But suddenly a defeated Null Guardian landed on Harangue, knocking him flat to the ground. He groaned. "Get this thing off of me!"

* * *

Shocksquatch growled as he fired at more of the Null Guardians. "There is just too many of them, eh?"

"When do the other Plumbers get here?" Gwen asked Rook.

"They are rallying their forces as we speak," Rook told her. "The sudden appearance of Animo…D'Void's army took them all by surprise. It may take them some time before they can mobilize."

"Which means we're the only line of defense," Kevin noted. "As usual."

"Work with it!" Shocksquatch yelled. "I gotta reach Animo, eh."

But even with their abilities, the Null Guardians were too many. They were soon swarming Bellwood, terrifying the masses and destroying whatever they could. A mother was running with her daughter as fast as they could. A Null Guardian spotted them and made a nose-dive for them. The mother accidentally tripped and fell smack on the concrete.

"Mommy!" The little girl cried after her mother.

"Run, sweetie!" The mother shouted to her daughter. She looked back and her eyes widened as the Guardian was right on top of her, its mouth opened wide to devour her. She closed her eyes and waited for the end, only hoping her daughter will be safe.

**Bam!**

The mother's eyes widened when she saw the Null Guardian smash into a nearby building, slumped over.

"Sheesh. Why's everyone got to be so noisy? Can't get any sleep now."

The woman realized that she had been saved. Standing before her was a man. He turned around and she got a good look at his face. It was none other than Coyote Starrk, Ben's newfound Arrancar friend. The woman stared at him, amazed but grateful.

"Mommy!" The little girl ran to her mother and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, sweetie," the mother hugged her daughter back.

Starrk's face softened at seeing the tender moment. "Get to safety," he told them.

The mother got to her feet and picked her daughter up. "Thank you," she told Starrk before running to find shelter.

"Couldn't resist saving a pretty lady, Starrk?" a snide voice asked.

Starrk groaned. "What are you getting at, Lilynette?"

Out of the shadows stepped Lilynette, Starrk's literal other half.

"Come on," Lilynette teased. "You thought she was pretty, didn't you?"

Starrk rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He winced as Lilynette kicked him in the rear.

"Don't lie to me, Starrk! You were just showing off to impress her, weren't you?"

Starrk sighed. "Whatever." He looked over at the numerous Null Guardians swarming the sky. "Looks like Ben's in a bit of trouble."

Lilynette looked up as well. "Yeah." She looked over at Starrk. "What do you think we should do?"

"What do _you_ think?" Starrk asked her, looking as if the answer was obvious.

Lilynette smiled. In the old days, Starrk wouldn't have done anything. But, now he had a reason. "Let's go help him out."

Starrk nodded. "Right."

The two pulled out what appeared to be red medallions. On either medallion was a black skull engulfed in blue fire.

Starrk faced Lilynette. "Ready?"

Lilynette nodded. "Ready!"

The two hit each other with their medallions and their soul forms left their artificial gigai. The Arrancar quickly caught their gigai and moved them out of the guardians' viewpoint.

Lilynette looked up at the swarming guardians. "What do you think, Starrk? Go all out?"

"Probably the best way to wrap this up," Starrk admitted. He put his hand on Lilynette's head.

"Kick about, Los Lobos!"

* * *

"This is no good, eh!" Shocksquatch yelled at the others. For every guardian he took out, more would take its place. While they weren't overly powerful, they did have sheer numbers on their side.

"By the time the Plumbers get here, half the city will be destroyed!" Kevin shouted after beating another guardian into submission. "Maybe all of it!"

"I do not think we can hold them off in time," Rook said. "There are just too many."

Gwen grunted as she used her many to tie up the wings of some of the guardians, forcing them to fall. "Even if we defeat D'Void, that won't stop the Null Guardians."

"Then what are we supposed to do, eh?!" Shocksquatch demanded.

Suddenly something happened. A blue beam of energy tore through the sky, decimated many of the Null Guardians.

"Whoa!" Kevin stared wide eyed.

"What happened?" D'Void exclaimed in shock. "My pets! They exploded!" He glared at Shocksquatch. "What did you do?!"

The others were taken aback by D'Void's statement.

"Exploded?" Gwen asked him. "You didn't see the energy blast?"

"What energy blast?" D'Void demanded.

Shocksquatch frowned. If D'Void couldn't see the energy attack…why could they?

There was a sound like a static boom and suddenly Starrk stood before the team in his released state. Shocksquatch was surprised at first but then there was a big grin on his face.

"Starrk! What took you so long, eh?'

"Sorry for the wait," Starrk said. "Took me awhile to get up."

"Seriously?" Kevin asked. "You were sleeping through all of this?"

"Ha!" Lilynette laughed from her gun form. "This guy could sleep through an earthquake!"

"I don't know about that," Starrk muttered.

"Well, we'd really appreciate your help here, Starrk," Gwen said.

Starrk looked back at her. "Don't worry. This is my home now. What kind of person would I be if I didn't protect it?"

Shocksquatch's grin got bigger. "Thanks, eh."

"Who are you talking to!?" D'Void shouted at the group down below.

Starrk looked up at D'Void. "So he's the guy behind all of this. Since he can't see me, he must not have much reiatsu." Starrk could have easily scanned the guy to see how much reiatsu he had but he wasn't in the mood to. "Ben." Shocksquatch looked up. "I'll take care of these creatures. You just focus on the leader."

The others were taken aback by Starrk's statement. Rook was especially taken aback by the Arrancar's bold declaration.

"But how will you stop all of them?" Kevin asked. "Sure, you're strong but D'Void's got an army."

"Yeah," Starrk nodded. "But we've got an army too."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Starrk's guns disappeared. His bandoliers suddenly started releasing spiritual energy from them. Ben's group stared wide eyed as the energy started shaping into a pack of wolves, with their count in the hundreds!

"Whoa," Kevin breathed. "You have _got _to teach me that."

Shocksquatch laughed. "I'm glad you're on our side, Starrk. We'll leave the Null Guardians to you, eh?"

"Got it," Starrk said. He raised his hands and energy started dispersing from his bandolier again. Only this time they took the form of two swords in either of Starrk's hands. "Time for the hunt."

Starrk and his wolf pack shot toward the Null Guardians. Unable to sense the Arrancar and his wolves, the Null Guardians were defenseless as Starrk's wolves started to pounce on them. Starrk, not really fond of killing, simply went for the wings. He had a feeling they'd be helpless without those.

Shocksquatch punched his open palm. "Starrk's taking care of them. Now let's get D'Void!"

D'Void could not believe what was going on. Then again, he couldn't see Starrk or his wolves. So, in his eyes their wings were suddenly being ripped off (or for some odd reason, cut) and they were dropping to the ground below.

"What…what's happening to my army?!" he cried.

Shocksquatch leaped up towards D'Void. "Sorry but they've been grounded, eh?"

He shocked the Null Guardian D'Void was riding on. The poor creature shrieked but surprisingly D'Void only grunted. The Null Guardian started falling to the ground. D'Void hopped off and landed to the ground perfectly on his feet. He glared at Shocksquatch.

"I don't know how you did this," he growled. "But I will make you pay!"

Shocksquatch just smirked at him. "I've heard that song before, eh." He threw a punch at D'Void, only for the the insane doctor to block his fist. Now it was D'Void's turn to smirk as he pushed the hero with enough force to send him flying back into a car. Shockquatch grunted as he created a sizable dent in it.

Kevin saw that his buddy was in danger and charged at D'Void. D'Void casually backhanded him, causing the teen to flip in the air before smacking to the ground. Gwen wrapped a tendril of mana around the doctor, but he shattered through it with ease. Rook started firing from his Proto-Tool but nothing seemed to be affecting D'Void.

"Did you truly believe that you stood a chance against me?" D'Void boasted. "Pathetic. None of you stand a chance against my might." He focused his attention on Shocksquatch. "You may have somehow defeated my army. But at least I can take your lives as a consolation prize. Starting with _him_."

Shocksquatch rubbed his head as he got himself off the car. He had a feeling he knew how D'Void got such a power boost. When he was first using his D'Void personality, he was able to draw power from a Null Void substance called Kormite. And Shocksquatch was willing to bet that suit of his was fueled by the stuff. Shocksquatch grinned. Not bad, but not a serious threat.

"Sorry, D'Void," Shocksquatch pounded his fists together. "But I've faced way stronger guys than you, eh."

He hit the symbol on his chest, transforming into Armodrillo. He began using his quake powers on the ground, causing D'Void to lose his footing. Armodrillo then turned into Cannonbolt, curling up into a ball and then launching forward. D'Void was knocked backwards by the attack, sliding along the ground. Cannonbolt shot up into the air before transforming into Rath. D'Void looked up in time to see Rath body slam into him. While the Kormite enhanced him, it was still hard for even D'Void to ignore impact from an Appoplexian. D'Void grit his teeth as he felt the blow course through him. Rath then grabbed D'Void and hoisted him up so that he could look the doctor in the eye.

"Let me tell you something, D'Void! You think you can just invade Bellwood and get away with it? Well you thought wrong!"

Rath grabbed D'Void's armor and tore the chest plate off before he proceeded to tear the rest of the armor off. Without his Kormite battle suit, the doctor was practically helpless.

"Seriously, man," Rath said. "We always kick your butt. You should seriously take up a different hobby." And in a rare moment of restraint, Rath gave Animo a simply nerve pinch and the wacko slumped to the ground. In a flash of green light, Rath turned back into Ben.

"Huh," Kevin said as he picked himself up. "That felt a little…anti-climatic."

"What did you expect?" Ben asked with a grin. "This is D'Void…" He rolled his eyes. "_Animo_ we're talking about. We've got so much experience on him."

* * *

Soon the Plumbers did show up, and needless to say there were amazed and shocked by what they saw. Immediately they went to work gathering the Null Guardians, first to check up on them and then proceed to send them back to the Null Void. D'Void/Animo was going to be locked up once again. And this time under tighter security.

"Well, you kids did it again," Max said to his grandchildren and their friends.

"It wasn't just us," Ben said. "Starrk was a major help taking out Animo's army."

At that moment, Starrk appeared among the group. "Just doing my duty."

Max jumped a little. He was one of the few people in this universe who was capable of seeing Starrk in his spirit form but it never ceased to spook him. "Well, Starrk, thank you a lot for your help here. Who knows what Animo would have done if we hadn't gotten there in time."

Starrk just shrugged. "No prob."

"Hey, Starrk," Ben said. "We're gonna be going out for smoothies later. You and Lilynette want to come along?"

Starrk didn't say anything for a moment, though Ben figured he and Lilynette were having an internal conversation with each other.

"We'll be there," Starrk said. "Let me just get our gigai and we'll join you."

Ben smiled. "We can wait."

Starrk nodded and used Sonido to go and find his and Lilynette's gigai.

"I am glad Mr. Starrk and Lilynette have been staying in our universe," Rook said. "Their abilities have been most helpful to us."

"Makes saving the day a whole lot easier," Kevin said.

"Think Starrk might be interested in becoming a full time Plumber?" Max asked. "We could really use someone like him."

Ben laughed, having long since realized just how lazy Starrk was. "Good luck with that, Grandpa."

* * *

Seventeen months had passed since Ben's adventures in Ichigo's universe. Needless to say, Ben's friends and Grandpa were speechless after he told them about what happened. They were a little wary of Starrk and Lilynette at first but almost instantly warmed up to him. Starrk was surprised by how friendly everyone was being but deep down…he didn't really complain. Lilynette was drinking it all in and she couldn't get enough of it. For once, the two felt like they had finally found a place to belong.

Right now the gang were all at Mr. Smoothy's. While Ben had gotten his usual blend of bizarre drinks, everyone else stuck with single mixes.

"That wolf ability of yours was awesome," Kevin said to Starrk. "How did you do that?"

"The wolves are pieces of our souls which we can divide from us and control," Starrk said, "us" meaning Lilynette.

Gwen's eyes widened. "You can do that with your own _soul_?! How is that possible?"

Starrk shrugged. "Arrancar all have different abilities. That just happens to be ours."

"But doesn't it, like, hurt you or something?" Gwen asked. She had been fascinated most about the spiritual energy from the other universe. She wondered if it could be used like mana.

"Not really," Lilynette spoke up. "It's really not that different from cutting hair or cutting off toenails."

_Did she really just compare dividing one's soul to cutting toenails? _Everyone thought as they sweat-dropped.

"Well, we stopped the bad guy and saved the day again," Kevin said. "What should we do now?"

"The Plumbers will be busy helping to rebuild the city…again," Rook said. "It would be best if we found a way to help them."

Starrk sighed. "That, I'm not looking forward to. I think I'll just go lie down somewhere."

"I'm afraid that some of you will be needed elsewhere."

Everyone turned to see Professor Paradox approaching them.

"Professor Paradox?" Ben asked. "What brings you here?"

Kevin groaned. "Oh, great. So, Professor, what sort of world-threatening disaster do we have to stop now?"

The Professor looked up at the group and they were surprised to see how grim his face was.

"Is…something wrong, professor?" Gwen asked him.

"Yes," Paradox said. "Something is very wrong."

Ben got up from his seat. "What is it?"

Paradox turned his attention to Ben now. "Ichigo's universe is in jeopardy."

Ben, Starrk, and Lilynette's eyes widened.

"Ichigo…what happened?!" Ben asked.

"Shortly after you left," Paradox said, "Harribel did indeed become the ruler of Hueco Mundo."

Ben smiled. He still remembered the Tercera Espada. Although Ben had never mentioned this to anyone, she had actually been on his mind lately. "She did? Good for her."

"She ruled Hueco Mundo to the best of her abilities," Paradox went on. "Under her rule, it was peaceful and the fighting was kept to a minimum. And then…just recently...the Vandenreich came."

"The Vandenreich?" Gwen asked. "Who are they?"

"You are familiar with the Nazis, right?" Paradox asked the group. All but Rook, Starrk, and Lilynette nodded. "Think of them…and then multiply it by a thousand."

Well versed in history, Kevin, Gwen, and Ben all felt their blood run cold. "What happened?" Ben asked shakily.

"The Vandenreich invaded Hueco Mundo," Paradox told him. "Harribel tried to fight their leader, a sinister man by the name of Yhwach. But he was too powerful."

Ben froze. "What happened to her?"

"She is currently the Vandenreich's prisoner. They're using her imprisonment to break the morale of other Arrancar, who they are "recruiting" to join their army."

"You mean they're forcing them," Ben snarled, clenching his fists.

Paradox nodded. "Enslaving would be the proper word. And they've already slaughtered countless Hollows."

Gwen brought a hand to her mouth. She knew what Hollows were like, thanks to Ben, but she also knew that not all Hollows were bad. "How awful."

"What about Soul Society?" Ben asked. "Do they know about ?"

Paradox shook his head. "They don't nor do I think they would be concerned. What goes on Hueco Mundo would only be important to them if it affected the living world or Soul Society itself."

Ben snorted. "Figures."

"However, the Vandenreich aren't merely satisfied with conquering Hueco Mundo," Paradox said.

Starrk raised a brow. "They're targeting Soul Society too?"

Paradox nodded. "Exactly. And even if they don't know it, the very balance of their world is in danger."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"I'll explain later," Paradox assured. "But we must hurry. Time is not on our side right now."

Ben needed a moment to let that sink in. These people sounded worse than _Aizen_. He couldn't even imagine what they were like. Immediately he shook those kind of thoughts out of his head. Ben already knew what he had to do. Harribel was in danger and he was willing to bet that all of his other friends back there were in danger too.

"I don't care how dangerous these jerks are. I'm gonna go there, I'm gonna save Harribel, and I'm gonna make these Vandenreich people pay for messing with my friends!"

Paradox smiled. "Good show, Ben."

Kevin got up now. "Alright. Who do we have to beat up first?"

"I'm sorry, Kevin," Paradox said. "But the Vandenreich are far too powerful for you, Gwen, or even Rook to face. Only Starrk, Lilynette, and Ben have any chance of facing them."

"What?!" Kevin exclaimed. "You're just gonna side us like that?"

"No, he's right," Ben said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "The people in that universe are really powerful, Kevin."

Kevin, Gwen, and Rook all stared at Ben. If he of all people was saying that, just _how_ powerful were the people there?

"Well what are we waiting for?" Lilynette yelled, already on her feet. "We need to get back over there and show these Vandenreich's who's boss!" Starrk got up as well.

"You _want_ to come?" Ben asked them in surprise.

"If these guys are as bad as the professor says they are," Starrk said. "You're gonna need some backup."

Lilynette grinned. "We got your back, Ben!"

Starrk had never said it aloud but he had become fond of the teen hero. He and Lilynette considered Ben to be their first true friend. And that was something they both greatly cherished.

Ben smiled. "Thanks, guys." He looked over at Gwen. "Let Grandpa and my parents know I have someplace I got to be."

Gwen nodded. "Ben, please be careful,"

Ben smiled back. "Don't worry. I will." He faced Paradox now. "I'm ready, Paradox."_  
_

Paradox smiled in a strange, knowing way. He looked over at Starrk and Lilynette. "Ready?" The two Arrancar nodded. "Then let us be on our way!"

In a flash of light, Ben, Paradox, Starrk, and Lilynette were all gone. Gwen looked at where her cousin once stood. Kevin saw the worry on her face and brought a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "They'll be fine."

"I hope so," Gwen said softly.

* * *

Little did any of them (except perhaps Paradox) know, another group of heroes were making their way to Hueco Mundo with similar plans to Ben's. And soon, they were going to have a little reunion.

**End of Chapter**

**Not all that exciting, I know. But the fun has just begun. These chapters probably won't be as long as the ones in the first volume were but hopefully I can make up for it by faster updates. ****I've also posted the first chapter to my remake of Transformers Prime: Dawn of the Dinobots. ****Here's a bit of a heads up though, guys. My work schedule has become pretty hectic lately. They're having me work longer hours. That and school will prevent me from updating as much as I used to but hopefully with shorter chapters I can at least update faster.**

**As I've said, this volume will the one where the romance begins between Ben and Harribel. Unlike Bleach: Ultimate Alien, I'm gonna go for a more realistic pace. And I will do my absolutely best to make sure the romance does NOT divert the plot and other important elements to the story.**

******Next time, Ben arrives in Hueco Mundo to rescue Harribel from the Vandenreich. And he runs into some familiar faces along the way. Will Ben succeed? Find out what happens in the next chapter: Rescue the Queen. See you then!**


	2. Rescue the Queen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Ben 10.**

**Special thanks to Pyromania101 and Kamen Rider Chrome. I really appreciate you guys.**

**Rescue the Queen**

Ben found himself gazing at the eternal night of Hueco Mundo. The vast desert sand stretched in all directions like a white ocean. Strangely, Ben noticed a wave of nostalgia hit him. Was it because he was in Hueco Mundo? Or simply being back in Ichigo's universe? Which reminded him; he hoped to drop by and see Ichigo and the others after they rescued Harribel. He wondered how his orange-haired ally had been doing these past months. Had he finally noticed Orihime? Ben was eager to see her and the others just as much.

"Never thought I'd come here again."

Ben turned to face Starrk, who was also gazing at the landscape. He noticed that neither Starrk nor Lilynette were in their gigai. Ben figured Paradox had something to do with it. "Did you ever miss Hueco Mundo?"

"To be honest, not really," Starrk admitted.

Lilynette blinked in surprise. "You really didn't miss it, Starrk? Come on! It was our home! Even I missed it a little bit."

Starrk shrugged nonchalantly. "It may have been our home, but that doesn't mean I liked it."

Lilynette's expression softened at Starrk's words. Ben could understand why. They had already told him about their lonesome backstory and the exact reasons why they had served Aizen before. He decided to change topics and looked at Paradox.

"Where is Harribel?" he asked.

"Within the Vandenreich's fortress," Paradox said grimly. "We'll be on our way, shortly."

"Why didn't you just teleport us there?" Lilynette asked.

"Had I done so, we would have been detected immediately," Paradox said. "We need to take a more subtle approach to rescue Harribel."

Ben nodded. "Just point me in the right direction, Paradox."

"But first," Paradox said. "I think it's time to get reacquainted with a few friends." He started walking off.

Ben raised a brow. "Friends?" His eyes widened. "You mean Nelliel?" Then he felt bad for completely forgetting about her along with Pesche and Dondochakka. They were his friends too.

"Well, her too," Paradox said. "But I was actually referring to Harribel's Fraccion."

Ben blinked. "Harribel's Fra…" He slapped his forehead. "Oh, yeah. _Them." _Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. Oh, he remembered them alright.

Paradox chuckled. "Those three have gained quite the reputation here since Harribel took over. They are known by many as the Tres Bestias and are greatly feared."

Starrk groaned. "I remember that they loved arguing with each other." He started picking his ear with his pinkie. "Really noisy."

"They're not still mad at me for slamming them into a building, are they?" Ben asked Paradox nervously.

"It's not a situation I'm sure they want to remember," Paradox replied. "But considering you were the one who helped their mistress before, I'm certain they'll gladly welcome your help."

"Here's hoping," Ben said when he spotted something in the distance. "No way."

Starrk and Lilynette's eyes widened. "Is that…?" The latter started to ask.

Paradox nodded. "That is where Las Noches used to stand."

"Used to" was the right word. The colossal dome had been completely devastated and left in ruins. Bits and pieces were scattered all over the place.

Ben tightened his fists as he glared at the once mighty structure. "The Vandenreich." It wasn't a question. It was all but obvious.

Paradox nodded grimly.

Starrk resumed staring. Las Noches…destroyed. He knew it wasn't impossible. It could be destroyed through the use of a Gran Rey Cero or any of the top four Espada using their released states…but he never thought he would actually see it like this with his own eyes.

Starrk frowned when he noticed something strange. He could _just _make out what appeared to be blue flames of some sort on the scattered rubble. It was actually burning it away. How? The stone used in creating Las Noches was supposed to be inflammable.

"What the hell are we up against?" Starrk asked aloud.

Just then everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of explosions not too far from their spot.

"What was that?" Lilynette asked.

"Ah," Paradox beamed. "That must be Ichigo and the others."

"Ichigo?!" Ben exclaimed "But…but how?!"

"I thought that Shinigami kid lost his powers," Starrk said.

Paradox smiled. "There's actually quite the story behind that. However, it would be best to save that for another time."

"But what's he doing here?" Ben asked. "Is he here to help Harribel too?"

Starrk used his Pesquisa. "That's him alright. He's with that Orihime girl too." Starrk sensed further. "Urahara, that Chad guy, Nelliel, Ulquiorra…"

Ben's grin widened. "Sounds like the gang's all here."

Starrk frowned. "I'm also sensing Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. Their reiatsu is a little faint."

Ben's eyes widened.

Starrk's eyes narrowed. "I'm also sensing someone else. Whoever they are, they're pretty strong. Probably beat up the girls before Ichigo and the others showed up."

Ben frowned. "Let's go."

"What about rescuing Harribel?" Lilynette asked.

"Having Ichigo and the others on our side would be a big help," Ben told her. "Besides, Harribel's girls would definitely want to save her."

Starrk nodded. "Strength in numbers. Let's go!"

Starrk grabbed Ben and Lilynette, and then used Sonido in the direction where he sensed all the others.

Once the sensation was over, Ben wobbled.

"You alright?" Lilynette asked him.

"Still getting used to Sonido," Ben mumbled.

"Come on," Lilynette sneered. "You have aliens with super speed, so why is Sonido any different?"

"Having super speed is one thing," Ben told her. "Being carried by someone else with super speed is another." He took a look at his surroundings. They were in another wrecked part of Las Noches. What a mess.

"Well, now, what's this? More unexpected arrivals?"

Ben, Lilynette, and Starrk all turned in the direction of the voice.

Standing before them was a man. His head was largely shaved, with a crop of black hair on top. He had round spectacles and wore a variant of a strange uniform with white trousers, black boots and a white top fastened by a black belt with a decorative buckle. He also wore a short white cape and a white hat with a black peak.

"Two of you are Arrancar, that is obvious," the man said before looking at Ben. "Another human? How strange."

"Ben! Is that you?"

Ben turned his head and his eyes widened. Standing there was Ichigo and he looked a bit different. His Shinigami attire now consisted of a thicker strap across his chest. He had four black vertical lines on his forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, lay around his neck as collars.

"Ichigo!" Ben called. "Long time, no see. You got your powers back!"

Ichigo grinned. "I can't believe it. What are you doing here?"

"Ah," the uniformed man said. "You two know each other. I take it you're allies."

Ben frowned. "Yeah, we are. Let me guess: You're one of the Vandenreich?"

The man's eyes widened behind his glasses before he quickly regained his calm composure. "Oh, my. Someone who is aware of us."

"Yeah," Ben took a step forward. "You guys are going down."

The man smirked at him. "Is that so?"

Ben's eyes drifted over to a pile of rubble with a few bodies lying on top of it. They narrowed when he recognized the three figures. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. They were bruised and cut up. He couldn't tell if they were dead or not. He fixed his glare over at the man. "You're the one who did this?" He pointed at the three.

The man's smirk grew. "Yes, I am."

Ben fixed him with the coldest glare he could muster. "You're definitely going down." He activated the Omnitrix and slammed the dial down. In a flash of green light, he transformed into Armodrillo.

The man's eyes widened at the colossal being before him. "_You! _What are _you _doing here?!"

Armodrillo's eyes narrowed. They knew of him. "I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick butt," he replied as he bashed his fists together. "And I'm all out of bubblegum."

He disappeared into the ground, shocking the Vandenreich man. Before the guy could even hope to defend himself, Armodrillo's fist burst out of the ground in front of him, smashing into the man's face and sending him flying backwards.

"Get him, Ichigo!" Ben shouted to his friend.

Ichigo grinned as he shot towards the man, raising his blade. "Getsuga Tensho!" He fired a wave of energy that Ben noticed was much bigger than Ichigo's usual Getsuga Tensho. Ichigo had gotten stronger.

But the strange man vanished before the attack connected, making Ben think of Shunpo or Sonido. And yet…it didn't seem like either. Did these Vandenreich have their own speed move? Who were they? Armodrillo picked up a piece of rubble and, using his jackhammer features, sent the piece of rubble firing at the man with the force of a cannon. The mysterious man pulled out a sword and sliced the rock in two. Ichigo came at him and swung his zanpakuto down, only for the man to block him. Sensing movement, the Vandenreich quickly dodged as Armodrillo burst out of the ground in an attempt to punch him again. The man glared at both of them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Starrk had gone over and collected Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. They were still alive and he needed to get them out of harm's way.

"Starrk?"

Starrk turned to see Orihime, Chad, Urahara, Nelliel, Pesche, Dondochakka, and Ulquiorra gathered. Lying nearby, he could make out the unconscious forms of Loly and Menoly. So they had gotten dragged into this too. He gently placed the Tres Bestias beside them. Orihime ran over and started healing them with her powers. He noticed Nelliel was now wearing a uniform reminiscent of the one she used to wear as a member of the Espada. Orihime's hair seemed to have gotten longer...and her chest seemed to have gotten a little bigger. Chad was now sporting a little bit of a goatee. Ulquiorra looked pretty much the same.

"Starrk?" Nelliel asked in surprise. "You're back. Does that mean…?"

Lilynette grinned. "Yep. Ben's back too." Nelliel smiled as her eyes started to water.

"Alright!" Pesche and Dondochakka both had their hands in victory signs. "Ben's back! He's come to save us all!"

"Tennyson-kun is here?" Orihime asked excitedly. Chad also perked up at hearing that their friend had returned.

"He's fighting that Quincy as we speak," Ulquiorra said, having sensed Ben's reiatsu.

Starrk's eyes widened. "Quincy? The Vandenreich are Quincy?"

"So it appears," Ulquiorra said. "An Arrancar had appeared in Karakura Town not too long ago. He seemed interested in Kurosaki and from what I saw…appeared to try and steal his Bankai."

"Steal his Bankai?" Lilynette repeated. "Is that possible?"

"He was unable to steal Kurosaki's but he was certain that he could have," Ulquiorra said. "Whether it's impossible to steal Bankai in general or steal Kurosaki's, I don't know."

"Then Nelliel showed up," Chad went on, "telling us about how Hueco Mundo had been conquered and Arrancar were getting captured. We decided to come and help."

"Am I correct in assuming my good friend Paradox is the one responsible for bringing you here?" Urahara asked.

"Precisely." Everyone turned to see Paradox approaching them. "It's good to see all of you again. Though I wished we could have met at a better time."

"What are we standing around here for?" Lilynette asked suddenly. "Let's help Ben and Ichigo!"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "That would hardly be necessary."

"Eh?" Lilynette frowned at him.

"That man is powerful," Ulquiorra said, "but I am certain that those two together would be more than enough for him."

* * *

Ichigo and Armodrillo both glared at their opponent, who stood facing them.

"I see," he said to Armodrillo. "You're the mysterious shape-shifter His Majesty spoke of."

Armodrillo glared. "Yhwach, right?"

The man was once again taken aback. "You even know His Majesty's name. Where did you acquire your information?"

"None of your business," Armodrillo shot back. "All you need to know is that once I kick your butt, his is next."

The strange man started laughing. "You honestly believe you can defeat His Majesty? You are courageous but foolish."

Armodrillo chuckled now. "If I can whoop Aizen's butt, I can definitely beat his."

The man smirked again. "Don't be so full of yourself. Even if the two of you work together, you can't possibly hope to defeat me. And even if you somehow did, you don't stand a chance against His Majesty. You will fall before him just as Tia Harribel did."

Armodrillo's fists tightened. "Oh, you are asking for it!" He slammed the dial on his chest and transformed into Kickin' Hawk. The bird-like alien lunged forward at the man, who blocked Kickin' Hawk's kick with his sword. Ichigo moved in for the attack and the man aimed his sword at Ichigo now. Two extensions made of energy formed from the sword's guard and fired what appeared to be energy arrows at Ichigo. Kickin' Hawk blinked. Those arrows eerily reminded him of Uryu's arrows. Who was this guy?

"Kurosaki Ichigo is a Special War Power," the man said before looking at Kickin' Hawk. "And you are considered one as well. However, since you mysteriously disappeared, you aren't an official one yet."

"'Special War Power'?" Kickin' Hawk looked at Ichigo. "What's he talking about?"

"No idea," Ichigo replied.

"Since you're both here," the man went on. "And that you brought so many powerful Arrancar to us, I'll put you two out of the way, deal with them, and leave you for His Majesty to deal with."

Kickin' Hawk laughed. "Fat chance of that!"

The man's smirk grew. "Oh?" He aimed his sword and fired more arrows at the two. Ichigo swung his sword to deflect the attack while Kickin' Hawk raised his arms to block it. When the arrows hit, they did something neither of them expected. The arrows' energy started engulfing them, taking the form of energy cages.

"What the-?!" Kickin' Hawk cried out. He punched one of the bars but nothing happened. Angrily, he tried kicking it. Nothing. "What is this?"

Inside his own cage, Ichigo tried a Getsuga Tensho, but it had absolutely no effect whatsoever. "What the hell?!"

"Ben!" Lilynette cried from outside. She glared at the man. "What did you do to them?"

The man looked back at her. "I simply put them out of the way. It's no use trying to help them or for them to try and escape. The Letter I received from his majesty is J. I am Quilge Opie, the Jail. They will never be able to escape those prisons."

Within his cage, Kickin' Hawk punched and kicked at the bars wildly, screaming in frustration. "Come on! Break! Break!" Still, none of his blows had any effect. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ben considered his situation. "Okay. Kickin' Hawk ain't gonna cut it." Then a revelation struck him. "Wait a minute…I'm in an _energy _cage." He smacked his own forehead. "Duh! I know exactly who to use!" He slammed the symbol on his chest.

Outside, Quilge faced the gathered Arrancar. Nelliel, Ulquiorra, and Starrk. "Now," he said. "You three look rather strong. Hopefully you'll make fine additions to our Arrancar forces."

Ulquiorra frowned at him. "Trash."

Quilge frowned. "Trash, am I? Then I'll…"

Suddenly something strange began happening to the cage Ben was imprisoned in. It seemed to be breaking down.

Quilge was shocked. "What? What's happening?!"

Ulquiorra studied the cage carefully. Apparently this wasn't part of Quilge's abilities. "It looks like Ben Tennyson found a way out of your prison."

"Impossible!" Quilge yelled, completely losing his composure. "No one can escape from my prison!"

The cage continued to be breaking down, revealing a figure inside. Instead of Kickin' Hawk, there was now a grinning Feedback. The energy that made the cage was disappearing into his fingers.

Quilge stared in wide eyed shock. "H…how?! How did you escape my prison?!"

Feedback grinned at him. "Once I figured out the cage was made out of energy, I simply turned into Feedback and absorbed it."

Quilge looked at the hero with a newfound fear.

"Want me to prove it?" Feedback asked. He raised his hand at the cage Ichigo was imprisoned in. Quilge's eyes widened as the energy started flying toward Feedback's outstretched hand, being absorbed into his fingers. The cage was soon completely absorbed and Ichigo was free.

"Whoa," Ichigo looked around, wondering how he had gotten out. Once his eyes landed on Feedback, it all clicked into place. "Thanks, Ben!"

Feedback grinned. "No prob, Ichigo."

Ichigo grinned back. It was good to fight alongside his friend again.

Feedback looked at Quilge now. "Oh and by the way…thanks for the energy!" Using the boost he got from the reishi he had absorbed, Feedback zoomed right in front of Quilge's face and delivered a right hook to his jaw. The blow knocked Quilge off his feet and sent him skidding along the ground on his back.

"Man!" Feedback pumped his arms. "I love absorbing reishi! I forgot how great it feels!"

* * *

Back amongst the others, Starrk noticed Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun starting to stir. He went over to them. "Hey, you alright?"

"Aaaah!" Apacci screamed as she bolted up. "Where's that monkey bastard?!"

"Ugh," Mila Rose put a finger in her ear as she got up on her feet. "Could you yell any louder, Apacci? Honestly, the last thing I want to wake up to is you screaming in my ear."

Apacci rounded on her. "What did you say?!"

"Could both of you please be quiet?" Sung-Sun said, sitting up. "The two of you are both so loud, I'm surprised I'm not deaf by now."

"Shut up, Sung-Sun!" The other two yelled. "Nobody was talking to you!"

Some things just never change.

Starrk sweat-dropped. _How did Harribel put up with this?_

Just then, Sung-Sun noticed everyone's presence. "W…what are all of you doing here?"

"They're here to help us," Nelliel explained. "Everything is alright now."

Sung-Sun's eyes landed on Starrk and Lilynette. "You two! How did you get here?!"

"That would be my doing," Paradox said, waving at them.

Mila Rose put a hand on her chin. "Wait a minute. If you're here, that means…" She looked over to where Ichigo and Ben were fighting Quilge. Her eyes widened. "Ben Tennyson is here!"

Apacci and Sung-Sun got up and joined Mila Rose. Their eyes also widened when they saw Ben. Sure, they had never seen him as Feedback before but they just knew it had to be him.

"With his help, we can rescue Harribel-sama for sure," Apacci said.

Starrk remembered the way Ben had reacted when he learned Harribel had been captured. Not to mention the way the two acted when they had bid each other goodbye. He didn't know if there was anything going on between them but it seemed that Ben cared about her.

He looked over at the gathered group. That Urahara guy seemed to be pretty powerful. Plus, they had Nelliel and Ulquiorra with them. Together with that Ichigo kid, who was pretty strong himself, Starrk had a feeling that they had this under control.

"Ulquiorra," he addressed his old comrade. "Can I leave this to you?"

Ulquiorra looked back at him. "Hmm?"

"Ben's got someplace else he needs to be," Starrk told him.

Ulquiorra didn't say anything, simply looking at Starrk as if he was studying him. "There's something different about you. But what it is, I'm not sure."

"Is that so?" Starrk asked casually. "Might be your imagination." Ulquiorra's frown deepened at the former Primera's words but Starrk wasn't paying attention to him anymore. "Lilynette, let's go."

"Where are we going?" Lilynette asked.

"We're helping Ben bust out Harribel," Starrk told her.

"Hold it!" Apacci yelled at him. "If you're going to save Harribel-sama, then we're coming too!"

Starrk sighed. "Do as you like."

* * *

Quilge was locked in combat with Feedback and Ichigo, grunting in frustration at their power. Every time he tried to fire one of his arrows, Feedback would simply absorb it and respond by firing energy blasts at him. Not to mention Ichigo was following up with his sword attacks. Quilge couldn't believe it. The Potential War Powers had managed to escape his jails, something nobody should be able to do. And now, Feedback and Ichigo Kurosaki were pushing him against the proverbial wall. Well if that was the case…he would just have to use _that _technique.

Suddenly Starrk appeared in the middle of the fight, shocking all three combatants.

"Starrk?" Feedback asked. "What's going…?"

"Ichigo," Starrk said. "Ben and I are heading out. We'll leave this to you and the others."

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, confused by Starrk's words.

Starrk looked over at Feedback. "You want to rescue Harribel, right?"

Feedback froze. He had gotten caught up in fighting this guy that he had gotten off track.

"Free Tia Harribel?" Quilge asked. "As if I'd let you get away!"

Bam! Feedback had responded with a kick to Quilge's face, knocking the guy flat on his back.

"Don't worry about him," Starrk pointed back at the gathered group. "I think they can handle it!"

"Ben!" Nelliel cried happily.

"Tennyson-kun!" Orihime waved.

Feedback grinned as he waved back. "Hey girls!" Suddenly he felt someone grab his antennae and yank hard. "Ouch!" He looked behind him to see the culprit: Apacci.

"Come on!" She urged. "As much as I want to beat the damn monkey myself, with you here, we can definitely rescue Harribel-sama!" She started yanking his antennae again.

"Ow! Ow!" Feedback cried. "Alright, alright! Let go, already!" He looked back over at Ichigo. "You got this, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked over at Quilge, who was picking himself up. "Yeah. I can handle this clown. Go on, Ben!"

Feedback nodded. "So…where to?"

"We know where to go," Apacci said. "Follow us!"

Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun left using Sonido. Feedback wondered if he could match Sonido when he absorbed reishi. But before he could test that theory out, Starrk grabbed him and Lilynette.

"Oh no. Not agaaaaain!" Feedback cried as Starrk used Sonido to catch up with the Tres Bestias.

Ichigo watched them leave before focusing his attention on Quilge again. The guy looked pretty steamed.

"I let them get away. Damn it!" He glared at Ichigo. "I will kill all of you here and then I will go after them!"

Ichigo rested his blade on his shoulder. "I don't think so."

* * *

Everything was such a blur to Feedback. Now he knew what his team felt like whenever he carried them using one of his speed aliens. So very different from being the runner. When Starrk finally came to a stop, Feedback fell to his knees, digging into Hueco Mundo's sand.

"What's wrong with him?" Mila Rose asked.

"He's not used to being a passenger," Starrk explained.

"I'll be fine," Feedback assured them. "Once the world stops spinning."

"Come on, Ben," Starrk said. "Not even Orihime was like this."

"I'm usually the runner, not the passenger," Feedback argued. "I'm not properly adjusted."

"You sound like a machine when you talk like that," Lilynette said. She kicked Feedback in his rear, causing the Conductoid to yelp as he jumped to his feet. Apacci and Mila Rose smirked alongside Lilynette as Feedback rubbed his backside. He glared at the little Arrancar.

"Come on, already!" Apacci said. "We're wasting time. Let's get going."

"And just who put you in charge, Apacci?" Mila Rose asked. "As if we'll do anything just because you say so."

"What was that?!"

Feedback held his head. "Seriously? You three _still _argue after all this time?"

He looked up. In all the excitement, he hadn't gotten a good look at the girls. But he noticed that they had changes to them. Behind Apacci's horn was a longitudinal crest resembling a Roman legionnaire's. The band of the crown around Mila Rose's head was thicker, and had a pair of long, bull-like horns protruding from it. She had also added a cape to her attire. Sung-Sun seemed to have the biggest change in wardrobe. The protrusions over her right eye were thicker and connected to a length of fabric, which draped over the right side of her head and her right shoulder. Her long white dress now had a long slit, which extended from her upper thigh. The hem of her dress consisted of black fur, and she wore high-heeled shoes.

Apacci noticed him staring and scowled. "You gonna stare at us or are you going to help Harribel-sama?"

Feedback shook his head. "Right, right. So…where is she?"

"Not here."

Everyone turned to see Professor Paradox walking towards them.

"I know that," Feedback said. "So where in Hueco Mundo is she?"

"That's what I meant," Paradox explained. "She's not in Hueco Mundo."

Feedback gawked at him. "What?!"

"While the Vandenreich have conquered Hueco Mundo, their primary base of operations is not actually stationed here."

"Then…why did you bring us here?" Lilynette asked.

"Why to get Harribel's Fraccion of course," Paradox smiled at her. "If anyone has the right to rescue Harribel, they do."

"Damn right we do!" Apacci said, grabbing Paradox by his coat. "So take us to her!"

"If she's not in Hueco Mundo, where is she?" Feedback asked.

"A pocket dimension within the Seireitei," Paradox replied.

"Within the Seir…are you saying their fortress is in Soul Society?!"

"Indeed," Paradox said grimly. "The Shinigami's worst enemy…right under their noses. A brilliant strategy really."

"We'll worry about that later!" Apacci snapped. "We need to go to Harribel-sama now!"

"Can you get us there, Paradox?" Feedback asked.

"Of course," Paradox grinned. "Crossing into alternate dimensions is child's play. But tread with caution. You will be in the very heart of the Vandenreich. Be on your guard."

Feedback punched his palm. "I'm ready for anything."

Just then there was the sound of a sonic boom. "Hold it!"

Feedback's eye widened at that voice. "Oh, no. Not him."

Feedback turned around to see a sneering Grimmjow standing before them. A wide smirk upon his face.

"What are you doing here, Grimmjow?" Mila Rose asked.

"I sensed all the reiatsu popping up and thought I'd drop by to say hello," Grimmjow replied smartly. He looked over at Feedback and his smirk grew upon seeing the Omnitrix symbol. "Hello, Ben."

Feedback groaned. "What do you want, Grimmjow?"

"It's been awhile hasn't it?" Grimmjow said.

Starrk quickly got in between them. "Back off, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow raised a brow. Starrk actually getting involved? That was surprising.

"State your business, Grimmjow," Sung-Sun intervened. "We need Ben Tennyson's help to rescue Harribel-sama. We have no time for your games right now."

"You're going after the Vandenreich, aren't you?" Grimmjow said. "I want in."

Well that surprised everyone. "You want to help?" Feedback asked.

Grimmjow scoffed. "I just want to get back at those bastards for taking over our home. You can go rescue Harribel if you want but if tagging along with you's the only way I can get some payback, so be it."

Feedback looked at the other Arrancar with uncertainty. Could Grimmjow be trusted?

"I say that's a splendid idea," Paradox said, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm sure Grimmjow will be valuable assistance to us."

Feedback rubbed his head. He wasn't in the mood to put up with Grimmjow right now but he didn't want to waste time debating.

"Fine," he said. "You can come with us."

Grimmjow smirked again.

"Very well, everyone," Paradox said. "Here we go!"

The group was surrounded by a flash of light. And when the light faded, Feedback saw that they were definitely not in Hueco Mundo anymore. Instead, they appeared to be in some kind of city made out of ice. Or at least something like it since Feedback didn't feel cold.

"This is where the Vandenreich live?" he asked.

"It is composed completely out of reishi," Paradox said. "The fact that they were able to hide from the Shinigami for a thousand years is quite impressive."

Grimmjow's smirk turned sinister. "Perfect." He was about to take off when Starrk grabbed him.

"Hold it," the Primera said. "Let's figure out where Harribel is first, then you can go wild."

"I believe there is where she is being imprisoned," Paradox said, pointing.

Feedback looked in the direction he was pointing and gasped. Not too far from where they were was a large structure. The building consisted of a thick base with a long stairway leading up the front. On top of this was a series of thick columns supporting a thicker second tier of the building. There was a third tier above this, supported by thinner columns. Surrounding the main building was a number of ice-covered round or square towers and two curved structures leaning towards each other, forming an arch-like monument at the front of the building.

Feedback's eye narrowed. "That's it, isn't it?"

Mila Rose nodded. "That's got to be their stronghold." Her fist tightened. "Where they are keeping Harribel-sama."

Starrk frowned. Here they were, at the enemy's front door. He never imagined that he'd get involved with something like this.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Feedback asked with a grin. "Let's go!"

"Here we come, Harribel." Deciding to test his theory, he started moving toward the fortress and shot toward it in a burst of speed.

"Whoa!" Apacci shouted. "What was that?! It was like Sonido! Is that one of his speed aliens?"

"No, Feedback absorbs energy," Starrk said. "It seems that reishi, which doesn't exist in his universe, has bizarre effects on him whenever he absorbs large amounts of it."

"Then in a place like here, which is full of reishi," Sung-Sun theorized, "Feedback might be extremely powerful."

Grimmjow frowned at hearing Ben had an alien like this Feedback. It was one to watch out for.

"We can worry about that later!" Apacci yelled. "Right now we need to save Harribel-sama! Charge!" She started running towards the Vandenreich fortress.

"Oi, Apacci!" Mila Rose called as she chased after her. "What did I say about bossing us around?!"

Starrk sighed. "This is gonna be a long day."

"Starrk," Paradox said. "I'm going to sabotage their communications. It should leave the Vandenreich confused and unable to launch a proper defense."

Starrk nodded. "Lilynette and I will go with you. I know you're strong enough to beat Baraggan but I'd feel better knowing you had some backup."

Grimmjow was really surprised. Where was the lazy and uncommited Primera that he used to know. Ah, well. Grimmjow drew his sword. "Time to go wild."

* * *

Feedback ran up the stairs to the fortress and dashed right through the entrance. While this place wasn't as big as Las Noches, Feedback seriously hoped he wouldn't get lost in this place.

"Halt!" A voice cried. Feedback looked to see a guards running towards him. They were wearing similar uniforms to Quilge. "Who are you?"

Feedback grinned. "Oh, you know. Just a superhero here to save the day!" He raised his hands and fired bolts of electricity out of his hands. The guards screamed in pain before falling to the ground. He looked up to see more coming his way.

"Who is that?" One soldier asked another. "He's not an Arrancar."

"I don't know," another said. "Did he decide to attack while His Majesty and the Stern Ritter were invading Soul Society?"

Feedback's eye widened. Yhwach wasn't here? He was attacking Soul Society?! He and Soul Society may have had their differences but he wasn't going to abandon them. But if Yhwach and these Stern Ritter were attacking Soul Society right now…this meant getting Harribel out of here was going to be a lot easier. Feedback raised his hands and more electricity came out, while using his antennae to replenish his energy supply. The guards apparently hadn't expected such an attack and were brought down.

"Man," Feedback groaned. "Are you guys really this weak? I'm guessing these Stern Ritter guys are the heavy hitters in your group. Guess Yhwach never expected anybody to invade his fortress, even while he was away. Oh, well." He walked over to one soldier who was still conscious, struggling to get up. Feedback squatted down in front of him. The man looked up at Feedback's smiling face. "Hey there, buddy! Mind helping me out?"

The man flinched at how close Feedback was. "W-what the hell are you?"

Feedback just continued smiling as he grabbed the man by his uniform and hoisted him up. "Mind telling me where you're keeping Harribel prisoner?"

The man glared at him. "Her? What do you want that Arrancar bitch for?"

Feedback glared at him before punching him right in the gut. The man doubled over in pain.

"I don't like people talking bad about my friends," Feedback said coldly. "Now where is Harribel?!"

The man just chuckled between his wheezes of pain before sneering at Feedback. "It doesn't matter. Once His Majesty returns, you're dead!" Feedback glared and punched him hard, knocking him out.

Feedback dropped the guy to the ground. He was about to continue when Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun came inside. They noticed the unconscious Vandenreich.

"Looks like you got started without us," Apacci said.

"The guy in charge isn't here," Feedback told them. "Which means less security. But we need to hurry up and find Harribel before he gets back."

The three nodded. With that, the four sped deeper into the fortress. Feedback noticed Starrk hadn't come yet but didn't comment on it.

"Split up!" Feedback told them. "We'll cover more ground! See if they have some kind of dungeon or something."

The three nodded and all four dashed in different directions. Feedback found himself in what appeared to be a throne room. The throne itself was a floating platform. There were guards but Feedback dispatched them rather easily. Either the Vandenreich were really that weak or Feedback was just really strong when full of reishi.

"How did I wind up in here?" Feedback asked himself amongst all the defeated guards. Feedback was about to leave when his eye landed on something strange. There was a curtain on the wall behind the throne. Feedback wondered what was behind that room. Curiosity getting the better of him, Feedback decided to check it out. Using his electricity as propulsion, Feedback shot toward the curtain. When he reached it, he went right through it, revealing a room. And inside that room…

"Harribel!" Feedback cried, his eye widening.

Sure enough, it was indeed Tia Harribel, the former Queen of Hueco Mundo. She was in her released state and looked hurt, badly. She was being held up by chains from the ceiling while kneeling on the ground. A shackle and chain was around her bare left foot, while the other foot, which still had its boot, had a spike driven into it. Parts of her outfit were missing and Feedback could make out battle wounds on her, including dried blood that ran down her mouth to her chin.

Feedback's entire body trembled, his fingers dug into his palm as his fists tightened, and his teeth grinded against each other. Seeing her like this filled him with so much anger. He vowed that the moment he saw Yhwach, he was going to show thatmonster no mercy.

Angrily, Feedback aimed his hands like guns and fired thin beams of energy from his index fingers at the chains holding her up. As Harribel started to collapse, Feedback quickly caught her in his arms.

"Harribel?" He gently shook her. Nothing happened. "It's me! Ben!" Still nothing. Feedback was about to panic but he could faintly make out Harribel breathing. She was still alive! Feedback let out a sigh of relief. He heard explosions. The Tres Bestias must have been really going wild out there.

Using one hand to support Harribel, he broke the chains on her legs with his other hand. As he tried to think of a way to remove the spike without hurting her, Feedback got an idea and grabbed it. Sure enough, the spike, as well as the chain it was attached to, broke down into spiritual energy and was absorbed into his hand. Realizing that he was going to have to carry her, Feedback started picking her up. Unfortunately, Feedback wasn't paying attention to where he was grabbing.

"Eeep!" He had accidentally touched her bottom while trying to grab her legs. He drew his hand away as if he had gotten burnt and froze, fearing that Harribel would wake up. Or worse, the Tres Bestias would somehow walk in and attack him. Harribel lightly stirred but nothing else. Sighing in relief, Feedback tried picking her up again, holding her bridal style. "Don't worry, Harribel. I'm getting you out of here."

He went over to the entrance of the chamber and pulled the curtain away with his foot. However, when he pulled the curtain back, he remembered that there weren't any stairs. Groaning in annoyance, Feedback took a few steps back. Holding Harribel tightly, he ran towards the doorway and leaped. He soared through the air, luckily managing to land on his feet.

"Well," Feedback chuckled. "At least I'm getting good exercise."

A light moan drew his attention to the woman in his arms. Harribel slowly opened her eyes. "W-wha…" came out of her mouth weakly and Feedback felt his anger at Yhwach grow. With great effort, Harribel managed to turn her head. Her eyes landed on Feedback, who gave her a soft smile.

"Hey, Harribel," he told her. "It's me."

"B-Ben…T-tenny…" She struggled to say.

"Easy there," Feedback said gently. "It's alright."

"You...came," Harribel managed to get out.

Feedback nodded. "I'm getting you out of here."

Harribel slowly shook her head. It was the best she could pull off. "D-don't. Leave…me."

Feedback narrowed his eye. "Not a chance."

"T-their…leader…too…strong," Harribel argued.

"He's not here," Feedback told her, causing Harribel's eyes to widen. "And even if he was, that wouldn't stop me."

Harribel stared at him.

"I'm not leaving you, Harribel," Feedback said firmly. "I came to save you and that's what I'm gonna do!"

Harribel just continued to stare at him. She wanted to say something. Anything. But she felt so weak. So tired. Against her will, her eyes closed as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Feedback's determination fueled, he started dashing out of the room. Just as he was about to wonder where the others were, he turned to see the Tres Bestias running down the hall. Mila Rose was holding onto Harribel's sword.

"Harribel-sama!" Apacci cried, seeing her mistress in Feedback's arms.

"Those bastards!" Mila Rose swore at the state Harribel was in.

"We need to get her to that Orihime girl," Sung-Sun said. "Right now!"

Feedback nodded.

Feedback nodded. The group headed for the exit. As they did, Feedback noticed the dead bodies of many of the Vandenreich. It was obvious who was behind it. As a hero, he didn't kill unless necessary. However, considering the things he had heard about the Vandenreich, not to mention how angry Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun must've been at them…he couldn't really find them at fault. When they got outside, Feedback noticed Starrk, Lilynette, and Professor Paradox waiting for them. He also noticed numerous destroyed buildings around them. Grimmjow must be having a field day right now.

"Where were you?" Feedback asked.

"Keeping the Vandenreich out of touch with each other," Starrk said. "We didn't need their boss finding out and coming back early, did we?"

Feedback nodded. "No, we don't." He looked over at Paradox. "The Vandenreich are invading Soul Society."

"I know," Paradox said. "Ichigo has gone on ahead to help. I believe you wish to join them."

"Yeah," Feedback went over to Starrk. "Can you look after Harribel for me?"

Starrk gently took Harribel from Feedback's arms. He frowned at the battered state she was in. "I'll look after her, Ben."

Feedback smiled. "Thanks, Starrk." He looked down at Harribel. The anger came back full force. "Before we go, Paradox, there's something I need to do." He turned back to the fortress and hit the symbol on his chest. In a flash of green light, he turned into Way Big.

"What the hell?!" Grimmjow cried, taking a step back in shock. He was the only one out of them who hadn't seen Way Big.

"I'm gonna give the Vandenreich something to _remember _me by," Way Big said. He raised his fist and brought it down on the building, smashing through like it was nothing. The Arrancar were all surprised by Way Big's actions. Way Big then raised his foot and stomped down. The To'kustar began relentlessly attacking the fortress with a flurry of pounds and stomps, reducing it to a massive pile of rubble in no time. He could have destroyed the entire building with his Cosmic Ray but he figured this way would at least give what remained of the guards some time to escape. Yes, he knew they were evil but he didn't feel right killing them in cold blood. Their _king _on the other hand…

Once he was done and the structure was reduced to nothing but rubble, Way Big hit the dial on his chest and turned back into Feedback. His favorite alien was an ideal form in this universe. Might as well stick with it.

"You do realize what you did, right?" Starrk asked him. "By destroying their fortress, you're declaring war on them."

Feedback folded his arms. "I know."

Starrk shrugged. "Just so you know."

Feedback looked back at Paradox. "Another thing before we go." Feedback turned towards the fallen fortress again and raised his hands. Thinking back to his experience in the Fake Karakura Town, Feedback began focusing.

The group, except for Paradox, watched in amazement as what remained of the Vandenreich's stronghold started dissolving into pure energy, getting absorbed by Feedback.

"Aw, yeaaaaaaaaaah!" Feedback shouted. "Guess who's running at full power, baby!"

The Arrancar were left in awe of Feedback's abilities. His newfound reiatsu was practically oozing out of him.

"Looks like I was right," Sung-Sun said. "Feedback is the ideal alien here."

"Speaking of which," Paradox said. "Here's a useful bit of information, Ben." Feedback looked at him. "The Vandenreich's weapons are all composed of reishi as well."

Feedback grinned. "So that means I can absorb their weapons?"

"Indubitably," Paradox winked at him.

Feedback cracked his knuckles. "Ready when you are, professor."

Paradox nodded and stood next to Ben.

"Vandenreich," Feedback said as the light started to engulf him. "You are going down." And with that, Paradox and Feedback left for Soul Society.

**End of Chapter.**

**Well, everyone, Hope you liked the latest chapter of Bleach: Omniverse Volume II. Harribel is saved and Ben has declared war on the Vandenreich. Next time, Ben goes to Soul Society to aid Ichigo and comes face to face with Yhwach himself. Does the wielder of the Omnitrix have what it takes to take on the Vandenreich's leader? Find out next time in The Emperor.**

**There's something I want to address. Some people have asked me to have Ben show his Anodite self. I'm not. The Anodite schtick is Gwen's thing, not Ben's. Also, Ben can't. He doesn't have any Anodite heritage. Gwen's the only one in their family that does.**

**In case any of you are confused, I'm going to explain it. According to Dwayne McDuffie, the original writer for Ben 10: Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Anodites do NOT have DNA (Which makes you wonder how aliens like Alien X and NRG do). Anodites only have the Spark. If they mate with another species, all offspring that don't have the Spark are 100% percent what the species the Anodite mated is. Which means that aside from Gwen, everyone else such as her family, Ben's family, and Ben himself are 100% human. I know some people will argue that the Ben 10,000 from Ultimate Alien could use Anodiate powers. I'm gonna write this off as that version of Ben learning to use mana like magic, similar to beings like Charmcaster. However, I personally thought that version of Ben 10,000 was a little lame just like Derrick J. Wyatt, the writer for Ben 10: Omniverse, does. So, no. No Anodite Ben. Period.**

**On a plus side, this next notice goes out to any of my Ten Piece fans who still want me to write a Ben 10/One Piece crossover. I had decided not to, because it was pointed out to me that Ben and Luffy would not get along due to their conflicting ideals. (After all, Luffy loves heroes but doesn't want to become one.) However, after giving it some thought, I think I might have a way to write such a crossover. Here's the pitch:**

**When he was 11 years old, Ben found himself in the world of One Piece. There, he befriended a lonely girl by the name of Nico Robin on the island of Ohara. Unfortunately, Ben witnessed the cruelty of that world's government, and was unable to prevent Robin's home from being destroyed. Before he was sent back to his own universe against his will, Ben promised Robin he would return someday.**

**20 years have passed. Ben 10 is now Ben 10,000, dedicated to helping others while fighting evil and corruption. But he's never forgot his promise and when he learns there's a way to finally get back to Robin's universe, he jumps at the chance. There's just three things he didn't count on. One: He doesn't know how to get back. Two: He's lost access to most of his aliens. 3: Robin is part of a pirate crew with a rubber idiot for a captain.**

**So, are you guys cool with this idea? If so, tell what you think. What arc do you think Ben should appear in? What aliens should he have access to? (I'm gonna stick with ten at first so things aren't too easy for him. Bu I might have Ben unlock more aliens later on.)**

**That's all I have for now. See you all in the next chapter, The Emperor. Take care****!**


	3. The Emperor

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Bleach**

**Well, here's the third chapter. Probably the shortest in the series. Sorry for the hassle with the second chapter. Some anonymous reviewer called the Monarch started gripping about it, and I tried changing the chapter. Another reviewer pointed out that to me that my chapter was fine the way it was, so I took the chapter down and posted it back up, as well as deleting the Monarch's review. I shouldn't have let one reviewer, especially an anonymous flamer, get to me. So the original version of Rescue the Queen is back up. And here's the third chapter.  
Enjoy.**

**The Emperor**

Feedback was taken aback at the sight before him. When he and Paradox arrived in Soul Society, he couldn't help but be curious as to what it looked like before. But he didn't want to see it like this. Soul Society, or what was left of it, was in ruins; rubble and bodies were everywhere. It was a war-zone. No. It was a complete massacre. Feedback tightened his fists.

"Where's Yhwach?" he asked Professor Paradox. However, a sudden explosion in the distance caught his attention.

"There," Paradox replied grimly.

Feedback nodded and took off into the sky with a mighty leap. As he zoomed towards the origin of the explosion, he looked at the area around him. He couldn't even imagine what Soul Society might have looked like. It was too damaged. Bodies of Shinigami lay everywhere while others were locked in combat with people in white uniforms. Those had to be the Stern Ritter. Feedback hoped that the Shinigami would manage to fight them off. Maybe, if he brought their leader down, they would turn tail and run!

When Feedback reached the location of the explosion, he found something interesting. Ichigo, who he noticed was in his Bankai, was locked in battle with some black-haired guy with a long cape. It obscured anything else Feedback could see of him. Standing off to the side was a guy with long blonde hair and a white cape. Feedback's eye zeroed in on the black-haired man that Ichigo was fighting.

"Yhwach!" he bellowed angrily.

Immediately all three turned to see who spoke and their eyes widened upon seeing Feedback. Angrily, Feedback raised his hands and fired a massive blast of energy at Ichigo's opponent. The energy seemed to engulf the man, creating another massive explosion.

"Your Majesty!" the blonde-haired guy cried out. So that black-haired guy was their leader after all. Feedback smirked. That had to hurt. As he landed, he turned towards Ichigo.

"Sorry I'm late," Feedback said. "Traffic was awful."

Ichigo gave a chuckle. "Hey, Ben."

Suddenly something shot toward them. Ichigo moved in and blocked the attack with his sword. Feedback glared to see that the attacker was none other than the black-haired man.

"Yhwach, I presume?" Feedback glared at him. Now he got a better look at his foe. He was a tall man, whose long face had a broad chin and pronounced cheekbones. He also had long black hair, which reached to his lower back, and reddish-brown eyes with thin eyebrows. He had well-kept mutton chops which connected with a mustache, but was otherwise clean-shaven. His attire consisted of, along with his cloak, a white, double-breasted trench coat, which had some strange symbol in the middle, with large buttoned cuffs and lapels, white trousers, and trench boots. The guy also looked a bit burned. Was it Ichigo's attack that did it? Or his? Feedback frowned. Surely his attack did more damage than that. In the man's hand was a long ornate sword with a long handle and a bird shaped cross-guard.

"You know of me," the man said with a smile. "But I don't recall meeting someone like you. You must be the shape-shifter who helped defeat Aizen."

Feedback cracked his knuckles. "I am. And now I'm gonna help beat you!"

Feedback shot toward Yhwach while he was still struggling with Ichigo, unleashing a powerful punch to the man's gut. Feedback didn't let up as he started relentlessly punching Yhwach in the face.

"Your Majesty!" the blonde haired man shouted. He drew a narrow, cruciform sword and charged at Feedback, only for Ichigo to block his attack. He glared at Ichigo.

"Sorry," Ichigo grinned. "But I think my friend's got some anger he needs to let out."

Feedback continued punching Yhwach, pouring all his anger and fury into the blows.

"This is for Harribel!" he yelled before unleashing a spin kick right in the guy's chest, sending him flying backwards.

"Now get a taste of this!" Feedback raised his hands and fired a massive beam of energy. It looked like the Vandenreich leader was unable to protect himself as the blast struck him, exploding again.

"Oh yeah!" Feedback grinned. "That felt so good!"

"Impressive."

Feedback froze to see Yhwach walking towards him amongst the smoke. Aside from the guy's more tattered looking clothes and slightly singed skin, he appeared unharmed. How…how could the guy…?

"That was a good attack," Yhwach complimented, even smiling. "You pushed me into using my Blut. No doubt you would have left some damage if I hadn't."

Feedback grit his teeth. His attacks had done nothing?! And what did the guy mean by _some _damage?

"And I know this isn't the only transformation you have," Yhwach went on. "With so many abilities, your victory over Aizen is not unfounded."

Feedback glared at him. Yhwach then turned toward Ichigo, who had made some distance between himself and the blonde guy.

"As for you," he said to the Substitute Shinigami. "It was foolish to send a pure Quincy to stop you. It would have been better to send an Arrancar or something else. Thanks to that…the memories within your reiatsu have awoken earlier than I would have liked."

Feedback and Ichigo stared in confusion. Quilge was probably the name of the jail guy they had fought. Wait a minute. The man said Quincy. These guys were Quincy? They were up against people like Uryu? Did Uryu himself know about this?

"When you were in Quilge's jail," Yhwach said. "You must have released your reiatsu to the extreme to destroy it. When going back to your body, the dregs of your reiatsu also incorporated the surrounding reiatsu. And Quilge's reiatsu slowly reached the deepest parts of your soul…and awakened the memories within your…from their very root. Quilge's jail is meant to suppress enemies. It can't…imprison Quincy."

"Hold on a minute!" Feedback argued. "Are you trying to say Ichigo is a Quincy?"

Yhwach smirked at him. "Correct."

"How can that be?" Ichigo demanded.

Yhwach's eyes narrowed. "Oh, right. You know nothing about yourself. Not even…about your own mother."

Feedback and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"What are you…?" Ichigo started to ask.

Yhwach started walking towards him. "I wanted to take you back to re-educate you from the start, but it looks like there's no time to take it slowly." He grabbed his blade. "I'll force you to surrender…and drag you back!"

Feedback glared. "Over my dead body!" He started focusing his power. The surrounding area started breaking down into reishi and becoming absorbed by him.

Yhwach's eyes widened. "He can absorb reishi?"

Feedback gathered up his power and began firing energy blasts. Yhwach swiftly dodged to the side and went to attack Feedback. However, Ichigo intervened and blocked Yhwach's sword.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Ichigo yelled.

Yhwach grinned. "I'll tell you when we get back to our headquarters."

"Fat chance!" Feedback leaped forward and grabbed Yhwach's sword. Yhwach's eyes widened as the sword was absorbed into Feedback's hand. Feedback then unleashed bolts of electricity on him. Yhwach didn't seem fazed by the attack, causing Feedback to assume he used that Blut ability he mentioned. Yhwach glared at him now.

"Go ahead," Feedback grinned. "Say me and Ichigo make a good team. Everyone else does."

"You are starting to become a nuisance," Yhwach said. He raised his hand and suddenly an exact duplicate of his sword materialized. "Perhaps I will kill you first and then bring Ichigo with me." He raised his blade to attack when suddenly shadows began to ooze out of him. Feedback, Ichigo, and even Yhwach himself were shocked at this.

"What the…?" Feedback stared.

"It's time, Your Majesty," the blonde man said to Yhwach. "You can't stay out of the Schatten Bereich area anymore. Please return to our territory."

Yhwach frowned. "No way. There should still be…" Suddenly his eyes widened before becoming amused. "I see. So it was _his_ doing. He managed to confuse my perception of time when the two of us were talking. Haschwalth, why didn't you tell me if you realized it?"

"I knew that," Haschwalth replied "Trying to stop you would be useless."

"Oh well," Yhwach said as he turned around. "Let's go!" He and the one called Haschwalth started walking away.

"Wait!" Ichigo thundered. Both Vandenreich stopped. "Do you think we'll let you go?!"

"No way!" Feedback yelled. "Not after all the things you've done!"

Yhwach narrowed his eyes at both of them before turning around and continue walking.

"I said stop!" Ichigo yelled. He shot toward Yhwach while Feedback fired an energy blast.

Haschwalth and Yhwach reacted quickly. In one single slash they managed to cut Ichigo's sword right in two and deflect Feedback's blast. Both stared in shock as the two Vandenreich re-sheathed their swords.

Suddenly something that appeared to be a Garganta opened up in front of Yhwach. But unlike the Garganta that Feedback had seen, this one seemed to be pure darkness. Like a great black void. Feedback realized that they were going back to their headquarters.

"Farewell, Kurosaki Ichigo," Yhwach said. "One day I'll come back to get you. Heal your wounds and wait. My son…born in the darkness."

Feedback and Ichigo were both confused by Yhwach's words. But before the Vandenreich leader could step inside the darkness, Feedback regained himself.

"Hope you like the redecorating I did while you were gone!"

Yhwach froze when he heard that. He turned around to face Feedback. "What did you say?"

Feedback grinned as he hit the symbol on his chest, turning back to normal. "Before I came here, I dropped by your fortress to say hello."

Yhwach and Haschwalth's eyes widened.

"Harribel is gone," Ben went on. "Safe and sound and as far away from you as possible. Not to mention your base is in ruins, thanks to yours truly."

Haschwalth scowled at Ben. "You…"

"Consider it a warning," Ben went on. He pointed at Yhwach. "'Cause next time we meet, nothing will protect you from me! Not men! Not weapons! Not powers!"

Yhwach said nothing, simply staring at Ben before going back into the darkness. Haschwalth gave them one last look before he followed his leader.

Once they were gone, Ben frowned. Feedback couldn't put a dent in the guy even when super-charged on reishi. Just how strong was he anyway? Deciding to worry about it for a later time, he looked over at Ichigo. "You okay, man?"

Ichigo looked at the ground. "I…I don't know."

Ben put a comforting hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "I don't know what that guy was talking about but I want you to know that I've got your back, Ichigo."

Ichigo smiled. "It's great to have you back, Ben."

"Great to be back," Ben said before he looked over at the devastation. "Sort of."

"Did you really do what you said?" Ichigo asked.

"Yep," Ben said. "They're lucky I didn't use Way Big's ray. The place would just be ashes then."

Ichigo gawked. "You used Way Big?"

Ben shrugged. "Wanted to get the job done quickly."

Ichigo laughed. "Man, I can't believe you."

As the two shared a laugh, they fell into a comforting silence. The two buddies had really missed each other.

"So, what do we do now?" Ichigo asked.

"We wait," Both turned to see Paradox walking towards them. "Soul Society will need time to tend to their wounded and rebuild. However, so will the Vandenreich."

"Can we go back to Hueco Mundo?" Ben asked. "I want to see if the others are okay."

"Don't worry, Ben," Paradox said with a smile. "Harribel is in Orihime's hands. I can't think of anyone more capable in this universe for taking care of her."

Ben let out a sigh of relief. "So…we wait?"

"We wait," Paradox said.

Ben scratched his head as he tried to think of something to do. He looked over at the destruction that had once been Soul Society. "I'll go and see if there's anything I can do to help." He started making his way over to where he spotted some Shinigami gathering up the wounded...and possibly the dead.

Ichigo unable to think of anything better to do, decided to follow. As they made their way over, Ben looked over at his orange haired pal. "So…how _did _you get your powers back, Ichigo?"

Ichigo chuckled. "It's a long story…"

"We've got time," Ben said as they continued walking.

"Fair enough," Ichigo shrugged. "It all started when…"

* * *

Yhwach stared wide eyed at what was once his glorious fortress. The boy had been telling the truth. It was completely destroyed. All that stood before him and the other members of the Stern Ritter was ruins. Not only that, but a small amount too. Yhwach had a feeling that the boy absorbed a large portion of the remains before coming to the Soul Society. After all, the fortress had been made of reishi.

"What happened here?!" cried a slender young looking girl with straight and long dark hair. Her white uniform consisted of the group's hooded cloak, a thigh-length trench coat, knee-high boots, a miniskirt, and black stockings. She wore a heart-shaped belt buckle and a white cap.

"Somebody actually attacked while we were in Soul Society," said a man with light, swept back hair and a full mustache. He had shallow cheeks and wore thin-framed glasses. His attire consisted of the hooded cloak and a calf-length trench coat, which was tied at the waist by a white belt. Beneath this, he wore a shirt and tie, as well as white trousers and shoes.

"Who was it?" asked a man with a long mohawk hairstyle and a pair of earrings in either ear. Aside from the hooded cloak, he wore a thigh-length trench coat, gloves, and pants which were cropped just above a pair of military boots. "Some of those Arrancar actually had the guts to attack? How could they even get here?"

"It wasn't Arrancar," Haschwalth said, drawing all of the Stern Ritter's attention onto him. "At least, not the damage done to the palace. It was the shape-shifter's doing."

"Shape-shifter?" asked a petite, young looking girl with light-colored hair. Her attire consisted of a skirt in place of the signature trench coat, gloves, patterned leggings, and a white cap, which featured a black peak.

"The one involved with Aizen's defeat," Haschwalth explained, causing the eyes of all the gathered Stern Ritter to widen. "We considered him a Special War Power but disregarded him when he mysteriously disappeared. The fact that he has returned now of all times cannot be a coincidence. He destroyed our fortress and took Tia Harribel with him."

"That bastard," cursed the mohawk guy. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants!"

"You get the meaning of this, don't you?" the mustache man said. "By doing this to our base, he's challenging us."

"He doesn't honestly think he can take us all, does he?" asked a man with a mask covering most of his face, leaving his chin exposed. His mask had a star pattern on the forehead and thick markings around his eyes, nose, and cheeks. He also sported a mustache.

"He's confident enough to have done this," said a tall individual who wore a mask, which covered its entire face and extended behind its head. At its front, the mask had a peak at the center with slits on both sides.

"That's enough," Yhwach said firmly. "Thanks to him, our plans have been pushed back considerably. He is a wild card that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Check to see if you can find any survivors. Haschwalth." He looked over at the blonde man. "It's time for you to carry out what I told you about earlier."

Haschwalth nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Yhwach glared at the ruins as the rest of the Stern Ritter approached it. He had underestimated the boy and had now paid the price. They had lost their base and one of the strongest Arrancar. The boy's warning was still loud and clear in his head.

"So the boy thinks he can defy us?" Yhwach asked himself. "How daring."

He thought back to the boy's transformation. It had the power to absorb reishi just as Quincy did. And it seemed capable of absorbing anything constructed by reishi, such as his sword. He frowned.

_Though the boy has many transformations, that one in particular could be a great threat. Especially if his reishi absorbing abilities are on par with our own. All this, combined with his actions and intent, clearly means that he needs to be eliminated at all costs. And since the boy knows where our empire is located, he will no doubt tell Soul Society about it. All my plans, set back, because of one boy._

The Vandenreich noticed the look on their leader's face and they realized that the boy had done something they didn't think anyone could do: he angered their emperor.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the far distance, another figure was watching all of this.

"Well, well," Eon said. "Ben Tennyson sure has been busy."

Eon remembered it well. When the Vandenreich had invaded Soul Society, Yhwach had gone to recruit Aizen. Eon had decided to drop by and speak with the leader of this new faction. The look on the man's face at finding Aizen's corpse was priceless. Eon then made himself known, subtly tampering with the man's perception of time out of sheer amusement. The two chatted for a while, with Yhwach being impressed that Eon had managed to end Aizen's life. Yhwach proposed an alliance with Eon, but the criminal decided to stay on the sidelines until the Vandenreich proved themselves to him. He had made a mistake joining Aizen right off the bat. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Ironically, his messing with Yhwach seemed to have saved Ichigo and Ben when they fought the leader. Oh, well.

"Regardless, these recent events have proven quite amusing. Plus, they keep that boy away from my own plans," Eon grinned. "Ben Tennyson. Ichigo Kurosaki. I hope you both give me a great show to enjoy."

* * *

Back in Hueco Mundo, the gathered Arrancar, exiled Shinigami, and powered human watched as Orihime used her healing powers on Harribel. Sure enough, Paradox had made sure to bring Starrk and the others back as soon as possible. The Tres Bestias were gathered around, watching as Orihime did her stuff. Harribel's wounds were vanishing and even the clothes of her released state were starting to return. Harribel began to stir and started slowly opening her eyes.

"Harribel-sama!" Apacci cried happily, tears pouring down her eyes.

Mila Rose and Sung-Sun both smiled at seeing their mistress, wiping away their own tears.

"Apacci?" Harribel asked. She looked around to see Orihime healing her. "Where…where am I?"

"You're safe, Harribel-sama," Mila Rose said softly.

Harribel looked around at the gathered group. Aside from her Fraccion, there was Nelliel and her Fraccion, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Starrk, Urahara, Lilynette, and the human Chad. They were all gathered in some kind of large tent. She also spotted Tiburon in Mila Rose's hand.

"Where…where is Ben Tennyson?" Harribel asked as everything started coming back to her.

"He went to help Soul Society, which is under attack by the Vandenreich," Sung-Sun replied. "He should be back soon though."

Harribel focused her attention on Orihime now. "Thank you."

Orihime smiled. "It's alright. I'm glad you're okay."

Harribel was surprised by this. While she and Orihime had not been direct enemies, she saw no reason why the girl would care for her well-being. But…she was grateful to be free. It had not been an experience she wanted to repeat.

So, once again Ben Tennyson had come to her rescue. That was twice now that the young hero saved her. She remembered what he had said to her before she lost consciousness.

_When he gets back, I will make sure to thank him, _Harribel thought to herself. _I...never thought I would get out of that place. _She shuddered as she tried to repress those unpleasant memories.

"Well now," Urahara said cheerfully. "Let's see about getting in contact with Soul Society."

Harribel turned her head to him, snapping out of her thoughts. "You can get in contact with them?"

"It might take me a moment but it's possible," Urahara said before smiling at her. "If you want, I could let you talk to Tennyson-san when I'm done."

Harribel thought about this offer for a moment. "I…I would appreciate that."

Sung-Sun smiled at her leader. Although Harribel never showed it, Sung-Sun knew that she had missed the human boy who had been so kind to her. And Sung-Sun herself was eternally grateful for what Ben had done. She would be sure to thank him as well.

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra reflected on what they were up against. After Ben had left, Quilge decided to use a strange technique he called Vollständig to fight Ichigo. It made Quilge quite powerful and even granted him the power to tear away the components of spiritually based objects. He nearly managed to absorb the gathered Arrancar, but Nelliel and Ulquiorra were able to get everyone out of the way. Even with this newfound power, however, Ichigo still had the upper hand. After Urahara discovered Soul Society was being invaded, he wounded Quilge in what everyone had assumed was a fatal attack. Nelliel then opened a Garganta for Ichigo to use to reach Soul Society. What they didn't expect was for Quilge to use some technique that allowed his body to move even when grievously injured. He managed to imprison Ichigo in another one of his cages before the boy could reach Soul Society. Obviously he figured that without Ben to absorb the cage, Ichigo would remain trapped. By now, Ulquiorra had gotten tired of the Quincy and decided to fight him. The fight was...disappointing.

_As I said before, _Ulquiorra thought. _Trash._

But being the analytical entity that he was, Ulquiorra knew better than to think all the Vandenreich were so weak. And after seeing what their leader had done to Harribel, Ulquiorra made a decision. The Arrancar needed to be prepared. Luckily Starrk told him about what Ben had done to the Vandenreich's base so that bought them some time. Once Harribel was fully recovered, he would teach the others..._that _technique. The special power that he had managed to hide from even Aizen himself.

Segunda Etapa.

**End of Chapter**

**Well, everyone. That's the third chapter. Short, I know. But this is probably going to be the shortest chapter. Next time, Ben learns the extent of the Vandenreich's attack, including the death of the Captain Commander. But things get even more complicated when the Royal Guards show up. How will they react to Ben? And how will Ben react to them? Find out next time in The Royal Guards.**

**Well, everyone. A few announcements before I go. One is that I'm going to take a short break from Bleach: Omniverse to work on my other stories. Having already posted three chapters in a row for this one, it's time for me to give my other stories attention. Course with school coming up, updates for any of my stories is going to take awhile.**

**For the record, yes, Ben's threat was based off Alex Mercer's boast from the Prototype game. Pyromania101 suggested it to me and I found it too good not to use.**

**Also, some people voiced concern that Feedback might become overpowered. This is understandable considering the Quincy specialize in making weapons out of energy and Feedback can absorb said energy. However, I'm making it that Feedback needs to actually touch with the weapons in order to absorb them. But just because he can do this, it doesn't mean the Vandenreich are helpless against him.**

**Now, about anonymous reviews. I have no problem with them in general. Or constructive criticism. I don't know if I've said this already or not, but constructive criticism helps a writer grow. "The Monarch" reviewer on the other hand, was just whining because he didn't like the way my story was going. Even telling me to take a vacation and let my brain take a rest or something. And I was stupid enough to let him get to me. People like him make themselves anonymous so that the writer can't talk back to them. I'm just gonna delete those kind of reviews from now on. I'll write my stories the way I want to and no flamer is going to change that. Sorry for my rudeness but I'm pretty angry about this. I learned from this experience though, so that's something.**

**By the way, the reception to my Ten Piece idea has been mixed. For those of you that like it, I'm glad. For those of you skeptical or against it, I'll do everything I can to prove this can be a great story. I'll admit I originally planned on making a Transformers Prime/One Piece story. It was either going to be one where my favorite TF character Grimlock ended up in the One Piece universe or one where my favorite OP character Robin ended up in the Transformers Prime universe. But I decided to stick with a Ben 10 crossover instead. It'll be great, you guys. Just wait and see!**

**By the way, if you guys haven't already been told, the group called SOPA is back. Why? I have no idea. But it is good to let everyone know to be on the safe side.**

**Well, everyone. That's all for now. Take care!**


	4. The Royal Guard

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Bleach.**

**Special thanks to Pyromania101 and Vandenbz.**

**The Royal Guard**

Ichigo had filled Ben in on a lot of things that had happened since they parted ways. He told Ben about how he met the Fullbringers and their offer to help him restore his powers. Ben was furious when he learned that the whole thing was actually a ploy to steal Ichigo's power for themselves, and was relieved when Ichigo told him about how the Gotei 13 helped him restore his powers and end the Fullbringers' threat. Ben only wished that hehad been there to help kick their butts.

Ichigo went on to tell Ben about how just recently, he had been attacked by an Arrancar who acted like he was a Quincy and tried to steal his Bankai. Shortly after this, Nelliel had arrived, telling him about how the Vandenreich came and took over Hueco Mundo. Ichigo and the others, minus Uryu, had gone to help rescue the Arrancar and came upon that Quilge guy, which was where Ben and his team had found them.

Now the two were inside the quarters of the 4th Division, the squad of the Gotei 13 that specialized in healing. Ben looked grimly at all the wounded Shinigami. He wasn't fond of them, considering the things Urahara hadtold him about, but he didn't wish something like this on them.

"Here it is," a man said, handing Ichigo a piece of paper. "According to this message sent by Urahara Kisuke from Hueco Mundo…Urahara Kisuke, Inoue Orihime, Sado Yasutora and some others…are all doing well. We have yet to establish any direct communication with them but we'll contact you as soon as we do."

"I see," Ichigo said, smiling as he read the letter. "That's great."

Ben was about to add his own thoughts when the two were startled by someone screaming. They looked to see a heavily bandaged Ikkaku yelling at one of the doctors. "Let go of me, asshole!" he yelled.

"I…I can't…please calm down," The frazzled doctor begged.

"There's no way…there's no way the captain got smashed!" Ikkaku snarled.

"Bring the sedative!" The doctor cried to some of his colleagues. "Hurry!"

"Captain!" Ikkaku screamed as more doctors swarmed over to sedate him.

Ben frowned. A lot of the captains got their butts handed to them during the invasion, including Kenpachi Zaraki, who was regarded as an unstoppable powerhouse. And what was worse…Captain Yamamoto himself was dead. It took Ben awhile to take that in. He and the old man had never gotten along with each other, but to hear that the leader of the Gotei 13 was actually dead was…something. The fact that Yhwach was the one to do it showed just how powerful he was. Did Ichigo and Ben survive their encounter with him through sheer luck?

"Ichigo-san! Please come here!" A voice called, snapping Ben out of his thoughts. He looked over to see Ichigo's friend Hanataro holding a tray of medical supplies. "I'll tend to your wounds."

"No, I'm good," Ichigo said softly. "I got some emergency healing done on me already anyways. Go help out some more of the heavily wounded, okay?"

"Is there anything I can do?" Ben offered. "Maybe some of my aliens could be useful."

"Oh, thank you Ben-san!" Hanataro said, flustered that the other hero of Soul Society would offer to help them. "It's just…

"Ichigo. Ben," The two turned to see Shinji walking toward them. Ben noticed that the Shinigami was wearing a uniform like the other Captains, apparently having rejoined the Gotei 13 since their last meeting. His bangs now had an asymmetrical line to them.

"Hey, Shinji," Ben said. "What's up?"

"Rukia-chan and Abarai's surgeries," Shinji said, "just ended."

Ben and Ichigo's eyes widened. Shinji led them to the Intensive Care room and they went inside. Ben winced at how bandaged up his friends were. One of Rukia's eyes had bandages covering it while Renji even had a breathing apparatus over his mouth. Ben scowled. Oh, the Vandenreich were going to pay for this. The nurse within explained the situation to the three.

"Reiatsu healing wouldn't have been enough in their cases…given the scope of their injuries, we had to operate directly so we sutured the reishi in the most critical of areas. They've cleared the most critical hurdle and are now in stable condition." She bowed to them. "I'll take my leave. Please call me if anything comes up." With that, she left.

Ben scratched his head. He felt so powerless here.

"Ben…Ichigo…"

Ben and Ichigo turned to see Rukia looking over at them. Ben smiled softly. "Hey, Rukia. How are you?"

"Is it really alright for you to be talking?!" Ichigo practically panicked.

Rukia smiled weakly. "They did just say my condition is stabilizing. Like usual, words just go in one ear and out the other with you."

"Why you…" Ichigo glared. "That mouth of yours is as energetic as ever."

Ben managed to smile in light of the situation. Looks like some things hadn't changed since he left.

"Ben. Ichigo," Rukia said. "You two came back to save Soul Society." She smiled at them. "Thank you."

Ichigo softened at the smile on Rukia's face.

"No, prob, Rukia," Ben said, scratching the back of his head. "I just wish…I just wish I could've done more."

Ichigo looked over at Ben. Looks like his transforming friend felt the same way he did. That they had been useless.

"Hold it!" Shinji barked. "Done more? You scared the big bad away. And from what I heard, you showed him just what happens when he messes with the people you care about."

Ben chuckled sheepishly. "Well…"

"Kurosaki Ichigo-sama!" a voice called. Everyone looked to see a bespectacled man at the door. "Captain Kurotsuchi is calling for you. It's about your Zanpakuto."

That was right, Ichigo had left his Zanpakuto to that 12th Division guy, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, for repair. Ben wasn't thrilled about this, considering what he had heard about the guy, but if he fixed Ichigo's Zanpakuto, then it would be worth it. Ichigo and Ben started heading out when Shinji called.

"Ben!"

Ben paused and looked back at him. "Yeah?"

Shinji gave him a smile. "Welcome back, buddy."

Ben grinned and then headed out with Ichigo to Kurotsuchi's lab. During their way there, Ben took in what remained of Soul Society. The first thing he noticed was that it was vast. Like a labyrinth made out of an entire city. And the way the buildings were designed? If not for some of the advanced technology he had seen, Ben would have thought that he was in some sort of Feudal Japan world.

But the sight-seeing had to come to an end when he and Ichigo reached the 12th Division, Kurotsuchi's place. Waiting for them was none other than Kurotsuchi himself. He had a clownish face with black paint covering most of it, leaving thin white lines going up his face and a white nose. He also wore a long, golden headdress which curved back to his mid back. Underneath his chin were two opposite facing strands from the mask.

_What a freakshow. _Ben thought to himself.

"Ah, the alien boy," Kurotuschi grinned widely upon seeing Ben. "I never did have the opportunity to study that wondrous device of yours." His eyes focused on the Omnitrix like it was a brand new toy to play with. "How I would love to uncover the secrets of such technology." His fingers were outstretched as if he was about to make a grab for it. Ben quickly pulled his arm away.

"We're here for Ichigo's zanpakuto," Ben said, glaring at Kurotsuchi. "Is it fixed yet?"

Kurotsuchi glared back at the hero, neither one letting up against the other. Finally Kurotsuchi gave in. "Follow me," he hissed at them, before turning to lead them into his laboratory.

"I don't like him," Ben said to Ichigo.

"You and me both," Ichigo agreed as the two started following after the spooky clown.

Kurotsuchi led them to what Ben assumed was the most advanced place in all of Soul Society. All sorts of computers were blinking and flashing at them as they passed. Ben let out a whistle. Who would have thought a place like this was more advanced than it looked? Around them were people in white lab coats tinkering with the computers and other machinery. Ben focused back on Kurotsuchi as he led Ben and Ichigo into one room. Inside the room were the two halves of Ichigo's Zanpakuto, resting on a cushioned table.

"Regarding your Zanpakuto…" The creepy captain froze for dramatic effect. "It cannot be repaired."

"What?!" Ben and Ichigo both exclaimed.

"Why can't it?!"Ben asked.

"You repaired your own Zanpakuto after breaking it, didn't you?!" Ichigo pointed out.

"You imbecile," Kurotsuchi muttered. "I did not repair mine. I modified it."

"Say what?" Ben asked. "You can do that?"

"In order to repair a Zanpakuto," Kurotsuchi ignored Ben's question, "you need the owner's reishi and reiatsu and then you merge them into your Zanpakuto. It's as simple as that."

"So what are we waiting for?" Ben asked. "Let's do that then!"

"Hush," Kurotsuchi snapped. "Grown-ups are still talking." Ben glared at the back of his head. "That only applies if the Zanpakuto breaks in Shikai. If it breaks in its Bankai state, we're talking about a whole different can of worms. A broken bankai can never be returned to its former state."

Ichigo froze. "Wha…"

"That's ridiculous," Ben spoke up. "How can a Zanpakuto be repaired in Shikai but not in Bankai? I mean, this looks simple enough. Hold on, Ichigo." He activated the Omnitrix and started scrolling through. "Maybe I can use NRG or Heatblast to weld the pieces back together."

"You'll do no such thing!" Kurotsuchi yelled, startling Ben. "Do you think that a Zanpakuto can be repaired like a common sword? This isn't mere metal, you fool."

"Then what, I get some spirit fire or something to weld it together?" Ben asked.

"Spirit fire," Kurotsuchi scoffed.

Ben glared at him. "Well what am I supposed to do? Leave it broken?"

"That's all you can do," Kurotsuchi said. "His sword cannot be repaired, simple as that."

"Then what is Ichigo supposed to do with his sword broken?" Ben asked, his anger rising.

"Out of my way!" a voice cried. "Out of my way! Out of my way!"

"Hold it!" someone cried.

"Stop him!" shouted another.

Before Ichigo or Ben could comment on what was going on, something large barreled into them and knocked them to the ground.

"Dammit, excuse me!" the voice apologized. "Wait…Ichigo?! Ben?!"

Ben turned around to see what had plowed into him. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Standing before him was Kon, the lion plushie from Ichigo's house. Only now he was huge and muscular. Maybe as buff as Four Arms, or Humongousaur.

"K-kon?!" Ben stuttered. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me!" Kon said proudly. "It's been so long, Ben. I never thought I would see you again!"

"You've…grown," Ichigo mumbled, shocked that the big buff thing was actually Kon.

"Lend me your ears, you two!" Kon wailed. "Let me tell you about all I've been through here…"

But before Kon could tell them anything, Kurotsuchi produced a small, black remote and pressed the white button. In a puff of smoke, Kon turned back to his small, more familiar size.

"I'm small again!" Kon cried.

"Well that was weird," Ben commented.

"Yeah," Ichigo added.

Suddenly there was a beeping noise. Ben and Ichigo wondered where the source of it was when they noticed it seemed to be coming from Kurotsuchi himself. Kurotsuchi tapped the left side of his headdress. "It's me."

Ben deadpanned. _He's got some kind of communicator built into that thing?_

Kurotsuchi was listening to something on the other end. "I see…as expected. Understood. I'm heading over there now." He ceased the communications and looked at the two boys. "Follow me, Kurosaki Ichigo and Tennyson Ben. It's in your best interest to meet them, though I can't say I'm happy about it. The Zero Division has arrived."

Ben raised a brow. "Zero Division?" He looked at Ichigo. "Ever heard of them?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Nope."

Ben frowned. He had read enough comic books and watched enough shows to know that when a group had Zero in their title, that meant they were big news.

* * *

Ben and Ichigo were soon outside of the Seireitei, where the other captains were gathered. Ben recognized all of them. His face lit up at some of the familiar faces.

"Kensei!" He waved. "Rose! Hey guys!"

Everyone turned around. Rose smiled when he saw Ben. "Ben! I heard you were back. Great to see you."

Kyoraku smiled. "Hello, Tennyson-san. Great to see you again."

Ben froze when he noticed that Kyoraku had an eye-patch over his right eye.

"We heard about you how helped in driving the Vandenreich away," Kyoraku said. "You have my thanks."

"Er…sure," Was all Ben could think of. "So…what is this Zero Division I've heard about?"

"And why did they wait until Soul Society is in shambles?" Ichigo put in. "Where are they normally?"

"With the Soul King in the Royal Palace," Kyoraku explained.

"Royal Palace?" Ben asked. "Does that mean they're coming from the Soul King's dimension?"

Kyoraku chuckled. "The Spirit King is not in another dimension."

Ben blinked. "It's not? I thought…"

"It's understandable for someone to first think that," Kyoraku said. "But where it actually is…I will let them explain it to you."

"Huh?" Ben asked.

Suddenly a gigantic pillar slammed into the ground in front of them. Ben was nearly thrown back by the impact's shockwave. Both he and Ichigo stared at the large pillar.

"This is…" Ichigo said in a low voice.

"The Tenchuren," Kyoraku said. "It's the preferred method of transportation for the Zero Division. Everyone from the Zero Division is inside that pillar."

Ichigo blinked. "Everyone? In that cramped space?"

Ben had to agree with Ichigo. The pillar was big but hardly big enough to hold an entire squad of people.

"There are no 'soldiers' in the Zero Division," Kyoraku explained. "Although calling the five members "Captains" really doesn't do them justice."

"Five?" Ben asked. "There's only five people in the Zero Division?"

"That's right," Kyoraku said as a pair of doors suddenly opened from the pillar. "And their power combined is greater than all of the Gotei 13 put together."

Ben's eyes widened as the doors of the pillar fully opened. And five people came out. First was a dark-skinned man with thick, black hair that was shaven and dyed green on the sides of his head. He wore a variation of the Shinigami Shihakushō, featuring instead a green undergarment, and a shortened hakama that exposed his lower legs. Worn over this was a white, sleeveless puffer jacket. His attire was completed by gold-framed sunglasses with blue lenses, and a pair of green slippers that were gold trimmed and had a shoe-like appearance.

Next was a slender and very youthful woman with fair skin and long, black hair that was adorned at the back by a large golden ornament in the shape of a crescent moon with numerous small lines radiating outwards. She wore the standard Shinigami uniform beneath a white long-sleeved haori, over which she further donned a white robe fastened at the front near the center of her chest. She also wore a pair of extremely thick-soled okobo. Sticking out of her back were several instruments playing a fanfare.

In the middle was a large and broad individual with a bald head, bushy eyebrows and a long black beard. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform beneath a white, long-sleeved haori. The top of his uniform was open enough to expose his hairy chest. He also wore a large set of red prayer beads around his neck.

Following him was a lean-built and very tall man with black hair arranged into an outlandishly large pompadour, or "regent" hairstyle, with tapered sideburns. He had a small stick in his mouth. Instead of the standard Shinigami uniform, he wore a waist-length white jacket that left most of his chest exposed. His attire was completed by a black hakama, a large yellow sash around his waist and a pair of sandals. He was carrying a flag with a design that looked like four flower petals inside a rhombus.

Completing the group was a plump, purple haired lady with styled swirl-shaped markings on her cheeks and black lips. She had a large silver adornment in her hair and wore the standard Shinigami uniform beneath a white, long-sleeved decorated haori.

"Yosha!"

Ben was…underwhelmed to say the least. He had thought that the Zero Division were intimidating warriors, possibly wearing awesome armor and cool weapons. Not…this.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way," Pompadour Man cried. "We're finally here. Make way for the badass Zero Division! It's been a long time, you Gotei 13 noobs! You been restin' and eatin' your wheaties?!"

_Oh, brother, _Ben thought.

Shinji seemed to be thinking the same thing as he muttered. "They ain't playing with a full deck, are they?"

Suddenly the plump woman smacked Shinji in the back of the head. "What's yer problem?!" Shinji yelled at her.

"It's been an eternity, Hirako," the woman said. "Why isn't Hiyori-chan by your side? That's so unusual."

"What do you mean it's been a while?" Shinji asked as he rubbed his sore head. "'The hell are you?!" Suddenly he froze. "Wait…did you say Hiyori-chan?"

"What are you talking about?" the woman asked. "How could you forget a face like this? It's me, Kirio!"

Apparently she was somebody Shinji knew…but Shinji felt otherwise. "Ki…Kirio-san?! You've chan…" He stopped himself. "You can't be…saying you have come out of a chrysalis stage would be more accurate."

_Wrong thing to say, dude, _Ben thought to himself but the woman, Kirio, only took it in stride.

"My~," she teased. "Hirako is still the big flirt! I've barely changed, if at all. Ah! I'm starving!"

Ben had to bite his tongue to avoid making a smart-mouthed comment at that. Then he noticed the pompadour guy going over to Unohana.

"Well, well, well," the guy loomed over her with a menacing look. "Feels like forever, Unohana. What up? You ever able to wrap your pretty little head around my kick-ass healing techniques?"

Unohana closed her eyes. "Of course," she replied respectfully.

"Ya don't say?" the guy went on. "'Cuz what I hear, quite a few of yours are pushin' daisies this time around! What's up with that, huh?"

Ben frowned. He was really starting to dislike this guy.

Suddenly the big bald guy threw his arm around the pompadour man's shoulder. "Now, now," he said with a big smile. "We're finally here. Leave such banter for another time!"

The pompadour man glared at his companion while Unohana just kept her eyes closed.

"Well," Kyoraku said. "The Zero Division is as lively as ever!" He looked up at them. "So…why have you decided to grace us with your presence?"

The large man was about to reply when his eyes landed on Ichigo and Ben. "So you're Kurosaki Ichigo and Tennyson Ben," he said. "This time, by the will of the Spirit King, we're here to rebuild the Gotei 13. But first, Kurosaki Ichigo and Tennyson Ben, we're taking you with us to the Soul Palace!" He gave them a big smile and thumbs up.

Ben's eyes widened in shock. The Soul Palace? Were they about to meet the Spirit King?

"Quit fucking around!"

Ben jumped before he turned to face the shouter, Sui-Feng. She was glaring at the Zero Division. "The revered Zero Division is so important, they just sit idly by in the Soul Palace whilst Soul Society was being torn to shreds…and now you arrive to assist the Gotei 13?! Give me a break!"

Ben had to admit that she was right. Those guys had never shown up at all during the fight with Aizen, not even when he and Ichigo were the only two left to stop him. What was up with that?

The pompadour guy looked back at her for a moment before facing his large teammate again. The big guy just went on like Sui-Feng hadn't interrupted. "Like I was saying, we're going to…"

"Hey!" Sui-Feng shouted at him when suddenly the pompadour guy was suddenly behind her, grabbing her arm and pulling it back.

"You're noisy," he said, giving her that menacing look now.

Sui-Feng looked back at him in shock. How could he have gotten behind her so fast?_ Her?_

"'Quit fucking around'?" The guy repeated. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Remember what you are? You're part of the Gotei 13. Ring a bell? The Imperial forces' job is to protect the Soul Palace. And the Gotei 13's job is to protect Soul Society. As someone who bears the name of the Gotei 13, don't come crying to us 'bout how help didn't come 'cuz you couldn't do shit. It's already bad enough that you're a disgrace to that title."

By now, Ben had had enough. "Hey, back off!" he shouted. "At least they actually tried to stop Aizen!"

The pompadour man slowly turned his head to Ben, now giving him that menacing look. "I already said, our job is protect the Soul Palace."

"So what?" Ben argued back. "Just because it's your job, you were gonna sit there and let Aizen kill countless people to make that key thing?"

"It would be the Gotei 13's fault for not stopping him," the man pointed out. "And considering that they needed two kids to bail them out…"

"Like I said, at least they tried," Ben argued back. "I don't care what your job is, if you see people in need, you help them!"

The pompadour man loomed over Ben. "I remember hearing how you smart-mouthed the Gotei 13. Even back-talked Yamamoto. Guess you think you've got some big balls to talk to us like that."

Ben folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah. Wanna make something of it?"

The pompadour man was scowling while everyone else was looking at Ben with shock and amazement. He was talking down to one of the Zero Division!

"This isn't a matter for little babies," the man said. "So stay out of it."

"Stay out?" Ben glared at him. "Stay out? You know what I think? I think you were too scared to fight Aizen."

The pompadour guy's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"I said you were scared of him. That's why you didn't try to stop him. You knew you'd get your butts kicked just like the Gotei 13 did. So you decided to stay nice and safe in the Soul Palace, hoping that somebody else would stop Aizen so you didn't have to!"

The Gotei 13 captains all stared in utter shock. Ben was just accusing the members of the Zero Division, the most feared group in all of Soul Society, of being cowards! Did he have a death wish?

The pompadour man was gritting his teeth, looking like he was about to explode. "You little brat…"

"Oh, and just to make my point clear," Ben said. "There's a major difference between you and me. You only help people because you _have_ to. I help people because I _chose_ to. I _chose_ to fight warlords, empires, and an inter-dimensional god, because I _chose_ to protect the people in my universe. So mind telling me how exactly _I'm_ a baby?"

The guy looked like he was about to retort when the large man brought his fist down on top of the guy's head, which sent Mr. Pompadour crashing to the ground.

"We've heard many things about you, Tennyson Ben," the large man said. "Once we take care of our business we can…"

"That won't be necessary. Everyone is accounted for."

Ben turned to see the woman with the mechanical arms approaching them. He wasn't sure when she had left. Some of her mechanical arms were holding gigantic orbs of some kind. He could make out Renji and Byakuya within two of the orbs but who was in the other two? And what were they all doing here?

"Kurosaki Ichigo, Tennyson Ben," one of her extra arms pointed at the two boys, said boys staring at the finger pointing right at them. "You are the only ones left."

"You cannot do this," Unohana politely protested. "In those spheres lie Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji, and Kuchiki Rukia. "They are in no condition to leave Soul Society at this moment. I cannot let you take them."

The multi-armed woman frowned at Unohana. Suddenly the pompadour guy appeared behind the 4th Division captain.

"That's exactly why we're doing it," he said. "Got it? I know yer well aware of this by now, you don't have the power to heal them completely. And…that Kuchiki Byakuya guy's gonna kick the bucket if we leave him with you."

Unohana closed her eyes.

"Got it? Retsu?" Pompadour Man pressed. "What you should be doing right now…is simply leave this mess to the professionals."

"Okay, then," Ben said with a smirk. "When do they get here?"

Pompadour Man glared at Ben and Ben just smugly grinned back.

Kurotsuchi on the other hand was looking at the contents in the fourth orb. Within the orb was none other than Ichigo's shattered Zanpakuto. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Tensa Zangetsu." He glared at the black-haired woman. "You break into my lab and…as always you're looking down on me."

"Oh?" The woman said. "Look who it is, it's Mayuri. Did you…say break in? Hardly. I merely touched the door and it opened. That's all." She gave him a coy smile as she brought the hand of one of her arms to her face, making it look like she was thinking. "Compared to when I was here…security has become quite lax."

Kurotsuchi glared at her.

Ben frowned. Okay so that was two people who were really…jolly and two people who were full of themselves. All that was left was the guy with the glasses. Ben wondered what he was like.

"W-wait a second!" Ichigo said to the Zero Division, who were starting to head out with the spheres. "If you're taking them just to heal them, why do Ben and I have to go? We have some things we need to d…"

"I'm well aware," the large man said. "The reason you two are coming along is completely different.

Ben raised a brow. "So why are we…?"

"Anybody~home?!" A familiar voice sang. "Looks like everybody is already assembled. Phew~ It's just my luck…what impeccable timing as always!"

Standing before them was…Urahara! Well, it wasn't actually Urahara himself. Rather, it was a projection of Urahara.

"Oooh!" Urahara waved. "It's been a long time, everyone! Nice to see you! Ah~, I was finally able to connect. You were worried weren't you? I'm sorry~~." Urahara was hoping to get some kind of reaction…only to be met with silence. "Uh? Your reaction is a bit disappointing. Why?"

Ben wanted to say it, but he just couldn't. He couldn't think of any kind of reply to what he was seeing. He was glad to see Urahara again, and he was cool with Urahara using some kind of projection. No, the issue wasthe thing projecting it. Urahara's transmission…was being projected from out of Kon's head. Ben wasn't sure when the little plushie had joined them but there he was, his head opened up with a beam of light projecting Urahara's face before them. Just what had happened to the talking toy while he was gone?

"What are you doing exactly?" Kurotsuchi asked Kon.

"No, this is…" Kon tried to explain. "Even I don't know how this is…"

"Capture it," Kurotsuchi ordered with a snap of his fingers.

Suddenly several people from the 12th Division appeared with nets. "Yes sir!" They cried. When had they gotten there?

"Stoooop!" Kon cried as they jumped him. "Now that I finally managed to get away!"

"Ah!" Urahara cried as well. "My remodeling."

After a comical scuffle, Kon wound up in Kurotsuchi's hands but Urahara didn't look all that worried.

"As you can see," Urahara beamed. "I'm fine, so no need to worry."

Kurotsuchi just deadpanned at Urahara's antics. "How does it work?" He started digging his fingers into Kon's eyes. The poor plushie screamed in pain.

"Oh, so you realized that the eyeballs are the switches," Urahara smiled. "I just switched it off so it won't work if you touch them."

"You're crushing my eyes!" Kon wailed at the 12th Division captain.

"What are you doing Urahara-san?" a voice asked on Urahara's side. Suddenly Orihime appeared on the screen. She smiled at seeing Ben and Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun! Tennyson-kun! I'm so happy! You're both okay."

Ben smiled. "Hey, Orihime. Sorry I couldn't talk to you before. How's it going?"

"It's been great, Tennyson-kun!" Orihime beamed. "Ah! Sado-kun! Sado-kun! Come here!"

Ben and Ichigo were now able to get a good view of where their friends were. They appeared to be in some kind of tent. Orihime moved over so that Chad could see them. "Ichigo. You're safe too. Ben! Long time no see."

Ben's smile grew. "Same to you, Chad. Nice goatee."

Chad smiled back. "Thanks. I'm glad you both are okay."

Ichigo smiled now. "What the heck…were you worried about us? We were the ones worried about you."

Urahara scratched his neck. "Well, I wanted to contact you a bit earlier actually. But Kon-san was restrained so the communication system I prepared wasn't working properly…"

"Heads up, Urahara," Starrk's voice called. "Grimmjow's on his way here. I'll keep him busy."

"Grimmjow?!" Ichigo cried. "Why is he there?!"

Ben chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, about that. He kind of…helped me out when I rescued Harribel."

Ichigo did a double take at Ben. "Huh? G-Grimmjow helped you?"

Ben shrugged. "Well, it was more like the whole "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" kinda thing. But I use "friend" loosely. Very, _very _loosely."

Ichigo frowned. He didn't feel comfortable with his friends being anywhere near Grimmjow.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki-san," Urahara assured. "We have come to an arrangement. Besides, with Starrk, Ulquiorra, and Harribel here, I don't think he'll try anything."

Ben's eyes widened. "Harribel. Hey, how is she?"

Urahara just smiled cryptically. "Before this communication started, Kurosaki-san said you had things you needed to do. Did you mean that you wanted to save us from Hueco Mundo? In that case, there is no need for that anymore. Kurosaki-san, do what is best for yourself. You can think on your own…and decide what you really want."

Ichigo's face softened at Urahara's words.

Urahara started waving his fan in front of his face. "And now, I believe there is somebody who wants to talk to Tennyson-san right now."

There was rustling at the flap of the tent and Harribel walked inside. She was no longer in her released state but she looked to be in perfect health.

Ben smiled wide. "Harribel! You're alright!"

"Only because of you," Harribel said to Ben softly. "I would like to thank you for saving me."

Harribel looked directly at Ben. He looked relatively the same since they last met. Perhaps a little taller but pretty much the same. Over the months, Harribel found herself missing the young hero. She suspected it was because he was the first man to be genuinely kind to her.

Ben shook his head. "You don't have to. I'm just glad you're alright."

Harribel closed her eyes. "No, Ben Tennyson. I…I had given up all hope of ever escaping that place, that I was to remain as their trophy until they finally tired of me, never to see what had become my Fraccion again. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Ben gave her a gentler smile now. "Glad I could help."

As they looked at each other, Ben found himself getting lost in Harribel's eyes. He had never admitted this to anyone, but Harribel had been more than just on his mind over the months. He kept thinking about her all the time. Her strong spirit, her kind nature, her beauty…

Ben shook his head furiously. Was he serious thinking all that? At a time like this?

Harribel noticed Ben suddenly shaking his head and wondered what he was thinking about. Instead of prying, she said. "I heard you destroyed the Vandenreich's fortress after you rescued me."

Ben nodded. "Smashed it to pieces with Way Big and since it was all made of reishi, I just absorbed it with Feedback."

Harribel blinked. "You have an alien that can absorb reishi?"

Right, she had never seen Feedback in action before. "Well, he absorbs all kinds of energy," Ben explained. "Reishi just happens to be one of them."

"Tennyson-san," Kyoraku said. "Is that true? You really did that to their fortress?"

"I did," Ben said darkly. "I wasn't going to let the Vandenreich get away with what they've done. Especially not to my friends."

Harribel found herself moved by Ben seeing her in such a way. She frowned. Why…why was she feeling like this?

"Perfect!" The large guy with the beads beamed. "That buys us more time to recover and prepare. Well done, Tennyson Ben!"

The woman with the mechanical arms gave Ben a small smile. "Quite the clever boy, isn't he?"

"Blowing up their base while they're away?" The Pompadour Man said, giving Ben that unnerving look of his head. "Not too shabby. Maybe you got something going on after all."

Ben was about to ignore them when a sudden thought came to mind. "Everyone! I know where the Vandenreich's fortress is!"

"What?!" All the gathered Shinigami cried.

"Why didn't you share this information with us before?" Sui-Feng demanded.

Ben hung his head in shame. "You…you all were so busy that I forgot."

"Don't blame him," Rose spoke up for his friend. "This is still good news. Not only do we have more time to prepare but now we know what to expect. Where are they, Ben?"

"Okay," Ben said. "You're not gonna believe this, but they're inside this pocket dimension within Soul Society."

All the Shinigami stared at Ben.

"It's composed completely out of reishi and they've been using it to hide from you after all this time," Ben went on.

"Incredible," the beaded man stroked his beard. "To think they've been here this whole time and none of us ever knew it."

"Do you know how to get to this dimension?" the many-armed woman asked.

Ben shook his head. "Afraid not. Paradox was the one who brought us there…but he just disappeared again."

"I'll be getting right on it," Kurotsuchi spoke up. "This will be fascinating to research."

"That's something at least," Shinji said. He grinned at Ben. "You've done it again, buddy. Really glad to have you back."

Ben just smiled before he looked back at Harribel. "What about Apacci and the others? Are they okay?"

"They're fine," Harribel said. "They wanted to thank you for saving me as well. So I will do it for them."

Ben just chuckled.

"Will you be coming back to Hueco Mundo?" she asked.

Ben looked over at the Zero Division, who were looking back at him expectantly. He looked back at Harribel. "I've got some things to do but I'll get back as soon as I can."

Harribel nodded her head. "I understand. Take care of yourself, Ben Tennyson."

Ben nodded back. "You too."

And with that, the communications was cut.

Ben stood there, not saying anything for a moment. Ichigo wondered what his friend was thinking. Just as he was about to ask if Ben was alright, Ben turned around and grinned at him.

"Well, Ichigo. Looks like it's you and me again. You up for it?"

Ichigo didn't reply back at first, now lost in his own thoughts. "Oi…bald guy."

"Oh! Me?" The beaded guy asked, apparently not offended by Ichigo's title to him.

"If we go to this Spirit Palace place…my Tenza Zangetsu will be fixed?" Ichigo asked.

Ben's eyes widened. That was a very good question. Could these Zero Division guys fix it? They seemed better than the Gotei 13 in such things.

"That's impossible," the man said. "We can't fix it. But…in the palace there is a super Reijutsu that you can only find there. Using that technique, it's possible to reforge the sword…into one similar to the original."

Ben looked over at Ichigo. He had no idea what reijutsu was or what would happen if Ichigo used a blade that was just similar to Zangetsu. Still, it was Ichigo's call and he was going to respect it.

"Okay," Ichigo said. "Take us to the palace."

* * *

Back in Hueco Mundo, Harribel left the tent. She noticed that her Fraccion gathered outside, sitting in a small circle near.

"Was Grimmjow any trouble?" she asked.

Apacci shook her head. "Starrk and Ulquiorra kept him away." She snorted. "And wouldn't let us kick his ass."

"Don't underestimate Grimmjow," Harribel warned. "Grimmjow was the Sexta Espada for a reason."

Sung-Sun looked over at her leader. "Were you able to speak to Ben Tennyson?"

"I was," Harribel replied. "He has matters to attend to in Soul Society, but he said he will return when he has the chance. I let him know of your gratitude."

The other three nodded.

"We didn't know if we'd ever see you again, Harribel-sama," Mila Rose said softly.

"We always feared the worst," Sung-Sun admitted. "We're glad you're alright."

Harribel nodded. "Once again I owe Ben Tennyson my life."

"Hey, Harribel."

Harribel turned to see Starrk walking toward her. "Hello, Starrk. I trust you are well."

Starrk shrugged. "I'm doing okay. Glad to see you're alright."

"What was it like in the other universe?" Harribel asked.

"A lot different from ours," Starrk said, scratching his head. "All kinds of different aliens over there and not a single Shinigami or Hollow in existence."

Harribel took this in. Ever since she had been introduced to Eon, she had wondered what other universes would be like. Eon had told them of some universes where the laws of physics were completely different from theirs, and some were filled with horrors that could drive one insane just by looking at them.

"Some are actually pretty friendly," Starrk went on. "But there are many aliens who do like to cause trouble for both humans and other aliens. The Plumbers have their hands full."

Ah, yes. The Plumbers. Eon had told the Espada about the intergalactic police force. Harribel had wondered why they called themselves Plumbers. Was it to hide their true professions or did the word have some hiddenmeaning? Eon himself did not know but was not particularly concerned about it.

"Is it…better?" she asked Starrk.

The former Primera blinked in surprise at the sudden question. "Better? Well, I wouldn't call it better. I mean, that universe has loads of problems just like ours does. Do l like it more? Yeah…I can honestly say I do."

Harribel didn't blame Starrk. There wasn't much to do in Hueco Mundo. All Harribel herself ever really did was keep the Hollows in check while her Fraccion simply fought with each other. Harribel remembered how Ben Tennyson had given her an offer to go to his universe. If she had taken his offer, she wouldn't have experienced the Vandenreich's cruelty. But on the other hand, what state would Hueco Mundo be in before the Vandenreich had taken over?

_I wonder if that offer still stands,_ she thought. _There is nothing for me and my girls here. Perhaps a fresh start would be better for us. But for now…_

Starrk then did something that completely caught Harribel off guard. He gave a light chuckle. Starrk, the laziest Arrancar in all existence_…chuckled_.

"Ben," Starrk said, shocking Harribel further by giving a soft smile. "The things that boy will get into, even when he's saving the world one day at a time." He gave a good-natured sigh. "I don't see how he puts up with it."

Harribel was speechless by what she was seeing.

"I know this might sound strange, Harribel," Starrk said. "But…Ben's become my first ever friend. And I'm glad. Lilynette and I…we're not alone anymore."

_Incredible,_ Harribel thought. _Simply incredible. _She knew from experience that Ben had that effect on people, but to have such an effect on _Starrk _was truly amazing.

"Look," Starrk then said. "After this is over, why don't you come back to Ben's universe with us? You can bring your Fraccion too. I'm sure you would prefer going there more than staying here."

Ah, and there was that deceptive insight Starrk possessed. Like he was reading her mind in such an analytical way that would make Ulquiorra envious. Harribel would definitely consider that offer. But at the moment, something else needed her attention.

"Girls," Harribel said to her Fraccion. "Come."

The girls immediately got to their feet. "Where are we going, Harribel-sama?" Apacci asked.

"Training," Harribel answered. "We need to prepare for the Vandenreich however we can." Harribel tightened her fist. _And I will make Yhwach pay for what he put me through._

Starrk looked at the determination in Harribel's eyes. "Training, huh?" _I saw how banged up she was Paradox brought her here. If their leader did all that, who knows how strong his minions are. She has the right idea to train and get stronger. Maybe I should too._

Ulquiorra, who had overheard Harribel, realized this was his chance to tell them about the Segunda Etapa. The only thing that truly concerned him was Grimmjow. Who knew what that wild animal would do once he obtained such power. Regardless, they needed all the Arrancar at their best if they hoped to stand a chance against the Vandenreich. Ulquiorra only hoped that he wasn't making a future mistake.

* * *

As for Ben? Well, shortly after Ichigo announced that the two of them would be going to the palace, they found themselves in front of…well, Ben didn't really know what to make of it. They were at some small, rather ordinary looking house if it wasn't for the giant statues of some guy holding up a sign. It was written in what Ben suspected to be Japanese so he couldn't make the actual words out. Behind the house looked like…well Ben didn't know what that was either. It looked like some kind of giant pillar that towered over the one that the Zero Division had used. By the look of Ichigo's face, he had been here before and wasn't thrilled to see it again.

Outside was a woman with green eyes and bandages over her long messy black hair. She was wearing a white skirt and a provocative red robe, exposing her ample bosom. She was missing her right arm and had a tattoo on her left arm. She also had bandages around her right shoulder and both ankles. Finishing her attire was a pair of wooden sandals and a cloak.

"So," Ichigo mumbled. "Why are we in this place?"

"This place?" the woman cried. "You fool! Is that how you greet me after all this time?!" She looked over at Ben now. The woman raised a brow and seemed to be looking Ben over, making him feel very uncomfortable. When her eyes landed on the Omnitrix, she smiled.

"So you're that Ben kid," she said. "I'm Shiba Kukaku. Yoruichi told me a lot about you."

Ben cringed. "Uh oh." He wondered what the Goddess of Flash had been saying about him in his absence.

Kukaku smirked at him. "So, you've come to help save Soul Society again, have you? I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do. But I understand you're busy so I'll hurry up and launch you guys."

"Launch?" Ben asked.

Kukaku nodded. "With my cannon." She pointed at what Ben thought was just a pillar.

"Cannon?" he asked before looking over at the Zero Division. It clicked on him. He remembered Urahara and Yoruichi telling him about Kukaku and how she used her cannon to help them invade Soul Society. "We're getting blasted to the palace?"

"Of course," the big beaded man said. Their pillar was right behind him. "The Tenchuren doesn't have a function to go back to the palace on its own."

Ben raised a brow. "Seriously? You guys might want to work on that."

"What about the super reijutsu thing?" Ichigo asked the large man.

"Err, I thought he said that it's in the palace, Ichigo," Ben pointed out. "We still need to get there first." Ichigo groaned at this. "I take it the first time in the cannon wasn't fun?"

"No kidding," Ichigo grumbled.

Ben looked back and forth between the Tenchuren and the cannon. It looked like they were getting inside the Tenchuren first and having the cannon shoot it, with them inside, to the palace. Were they going to have enoughspace? The Tenchuren didn't look that big for the Zero Division, let alone him, Ichigo, and their three wounded friends. Well, two friends and one stuck up snob.

"If we're going inside that thing," Ben said. "I'm gonna have to make space." He activated the Omnitrix, scrolled through his list of aliens, and hit the dial once he reached the selected alien. When the green light faded, Ichigo couldn't spot Ben anywhere.

"Ben?" He looked around. "Where'd you go?"

"Down here, Ichigo!" a slightly high pitched voice called. Ichigo looked down to see a grey-skinned, frog-like, bipedal alien, only four inches tall with large green eyes with little minus sign shaped pupils waving at him.

"Ben?" Ichigo asked, raising a brow at the tiny alien. He didn't even know Ben could turn into something so small. "What are you supposed to be?"

"This is Grey Matter," The tiny alien said. "Not much of a fighter but he's one of my smarter aliens. Figured if we were going inside that Tenchuren thing, the least I could do was make some space."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Tennyson-kun," Kirio said with a big smile.

Suddenly Pompadour Man scooped Grey Matter up by the scruff of his jumpsuit. "_This _is supposed to be one of your badass aliens? Didn't know you had some dud forms in there."

Grey Matter scowled at him. "Didn't you ever hear 'size doesn't matter'?" After freeing himself from the jerk's grasp, Grey Matter leaped onto his shoulder. Before the creep could do anything, Grey Matter pinched a nerve in his neck. The man stiffened for a moment before suddenly collapsing. All present stared in shock at the action.

"Hephaestan neuro grip," Grey Matter said smugly to the spectators. He remembered when Khyber first used that technique on him. Quite effective.

Ichigo stared in open-mouth shock. Guess one did not always need to fight to win.

"Very impressive," said the mechanical arm woman as the large guy threw Pompadour over his shoulder. "I'd like to see these aliens of yours in action in the future."

"I'm gonna launch it!" Kukaku shouted. "Everyone get on it!"

Grey Matter leaped onto Ichigo's shoulder. "Mind if I ride with you?"

"As long as you don't do that pinch thing," Ichigo said half-jokingly.

"Sure thing," Grey Matter said.

Soon, the group was all bunched up into the Tenchuren as it was loaded into the cannon. Grey Matter wondered when they would take off when suddenly he felt them all shoot into the air. It was like being on a roller coaster…minus the harnesses. The tiny Galvan clutched onto Ichigo's robes tightly.

"I knew it'd end up like this!" Ichigo cried. "Where are the seat belts?!"

"Good thing I had a light lunch today," Grey Matter mumbled weakly.

"If you throw up on me, I'm mailing you to France!" Ichigo shouted at Grey Matter.

The two didn't know how long they had been flying/falling when all of a sudden the Tenchuren hit something, causing Ichigo to fall to the side of the transport while Grey Matter went flying off and smacked into the side of the Tenchuren. Suddenly the two felt themselves picked up and shoved out the door.

"Get out you two! We're here. This is the Reiōkyū."

Struggling to get their bearings, Ichigo and Grey Matter wobbled to their feet. Once they were able to tell up from down again, they got a good look at their surroundings. The palace had several layers, with one layer suspended above the other. The lowest level was comprised from many buildings of the same style to that of Seireitei. From this, a large stairway led upwards to a wide and flat expanse, with both areas at the base and top of these stairs being lined by rows of huge, circular pillars. Floating above were five discs with numerous buildings on each, while suspended higher still was a large cylindrical structure that has a conical top and bottom.

"Whoa," Grey Matter mumbled. In a flash of green light, he turned back to being Ben. "So this is what the palace looks like."

"Exactly," beamed the bearded guy. "You should feel proud. No mere Shinigami or human could ever come here normally. Of course, it's not correct to call you two "mere" anything, actually."

So this was it. The place that Aizen had tried so hard to get into. Just then a thought occurred to Ben. He was about to ask, but it looked like Ichigo had beaten him to it.

"Aren't you supposed to use the Oken to enter the palace?" Ichigo asked. "When did you use it?"

The bearded man showed the two his right arm, which had black lines in it. "It's this," he explained. Seeing their shocked expressions, he elaborated. "The Oken is created with the power of the Soul King, that he uses onthose who are chosen to be part of the Zero Division. It's our bones. In other words, there are two ways to enter the Reiōkyū. We can either decide to let you pass…or you can come together with us. Aizen Sosuke was trying to create an Oken. What I mean is…he was trying to create "us" with his own reijutsu."

"He was scheming to create life…defeat the king…and basically become God himself," Ichigo and Ben turned to the speaker, the woman with the artificial arms. "Aizen Sosuke is…unmistakably…the personification of all evil." She looked back at Ichigo and Ben. "However, keep in mind, Kurosaki Ichigo and Tennyson Ben. Those Quincies are even more wicked than him."

Ben's eyes narrowed. Eviler than Aizen? That was saying something. "Doesn't matter," he said, full of conviction. "I'll still stop them."

The woman smiled at him. "Is that so? Good."

"Oookay, stand over there!"

Suddenly the two boys found themselves placed on a small, circular platform. How they wound up there, neither knew.

"Are you standing?" Pompadour, who had regained consciousness, asked them. Without waiting for them to reply, he went on. "I'm gonna shoot you up. Don't move! If you do, you'll die!" He went over a switch sticking out of the floor and raised a hammer. "Leeet's go! Fly through the…"

"Wait a minute!" Ben and Ichigo shouted simultaneously just as Pompadour was about to hit the switch.

"What?" he asked them.

"'What'?" Ichigo repeated, incredulous. "The hell? Shouldn't we get an explanation? Where are you sending us? Are we going to meet the Soul King?"

"Aaah?!" Pompadour gawked at them. "Are you dumb? What nonsense! Do you think random guys like you can just meet the Soul King?!" Suddenly Kirio came up behind him and hit the back of his head. "That hurts, fuck!"

"Explain it properly!" she snapped at him before turning to the boys. "Listen, carefully. The Soul King Palace can also be used as the name of this whole area, but to be exact, we are currently in 'Reiōkyū Omote Sandō', which is basically the entrance to the actual palace." She then pointed over to one of the floating buildings. "If you look there, at the end of this road, you can see a building that looks like a cocoon. That's actually the Greater Palace. The Soul King resides there. Moreover," She turned her head to the other floating platforms, "those floating things that look like trays…are the Zero Divisions' quarters. Our castles, basically. On each of those trays there is a city. The Soul King entrusts one to each of us."

"A whole city," Ichigo whispered.

_Just like the Espada, _Ben noted. _Though they never got entire cities._

"First of all," Pompadour spoke up again. "You're going to come to my "Kirinden", my place. All of you!"

* * *

Ben wasn't sure what happened or how it happened, everything was all a blur. But the next thing Ben knew, he and Ichigo were suddenly at some…hot spot spring thing. Like Ben, Ichigo was utterly confused at the sudden turn of events. Ichigo himself was inside the hot spring, wearing only his bandages and a towel on his head while Ben was sitting near the edge. Next to Ichigo sat Pompadour who, unlike the others, was quite casual about the whole thing.

"Um…what exactly is going on here?" Ben asked once he got his thoughts back on track.

"Your friends are healing in my hot spring," Pompadour replied. "Even though you don't need healing, the others thought it best for you to stick with the others."

"Healing…in a hot spring?" Ben asked skeptically. "I know hot springs are supposed to be good for you but I don't see how they can be healed in…" Then he noticed what the guy said. "Others?"

"Yep." Suddenly something started rising out of the water. Ben couldn't make out who it was because they were so heavily bandaged. "That shouldn't be floating." Pompadour shoved whoever it was back into the water.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo cried. "Why are you keeping him underwater?! He's going to die!"

"Jeez, how annoying!" Pompadour snapped at him. "It's not only Byakuya." He reached into the water and yanked somebody else out by their hair. Okay, now Ben could definitely tell who it was. The red hair was a dead giveaway to Renji.

"Renji?!" Ichigo exclaimed. "You're holding him like a red turnip!"

Ben had to cover his mouth to fight back the laugh. Now that Ichigo had pointed it out, Renji did look like a turnip that way. Just then someone else floated to the surface. Ben realized it had to be Rukia, then his face turned bright red when he noticed that her rear was showing and quickly turned his head.

"Aren't you gonna say that she looks like a peach?" Pompadour asked.

"Shut up!" Ichigo and Ben yelled at the same time.

"Since you're curious how my spring can heal people, I'll tell you," Pompadour said. "By keeping them underwater, their wounded reiatsu is squeezed out together with their blood."

"Wounded reiatsu?" Ben and Ichigo asked in unison.

"Can you see that red hot spring over there?" Pompadour asked, pointing behind him.

Ben looked to see a red hot spring nearby. What unnerved him was the fact that it looked like the redness was lava...or blood. Next to it was a sign of some kind. Ben didn't know what it said.

"More than a hot spring," Ichigo said. "I can see a sign-board that says 'Blood Pond Hell.'"

"Yeah," Pompadour said. "It says that."

_Blood Pond Hell, _Ben thought. _Don't like the sound of that._

"The Blood Pond is where…I'll throw Byakuya after he's completely empty," Pompadour said. And sure enough, he picked up Byakuya and flung him into the Blood Pond. Both boys wigged out at the action.

"What are you doing?!" Ichigo demanded. "You're risking his life!"

"Shut up!" Pompadour snapped at him. He pointed at the hot spring he and Ichigo were in. "His blood is sucked away in this skeleton bone…and then replenished in the Blood Pond Hell. By repeating this a few times, the rotten blood and reiatsu are completely sucked out and substituted with this hot spring water. This is my healing technique."

Ichigo and Ben shared a look. Ben was used to all kinds of weird things in this universe, but could the hot springs really do something like that?

"You," Pompadour said to Ichigo. "Weren't you Urahara's Kisuke disciple?"

Ichigo gawked at being called Urahara's disciple. "I'm not!" he hollered.

"Wasn't there a weird hot spring," Pompadour said, ignoring Ichigo. "In his and Shihoin Yoruichi's 'playground?'"

Ichigo froze while Ben looked in confusion. Was the guy talking about Urahara's underground base? Or…was he referring to that place Yoruichi took Ichigo to train for his Bankai?

"That is something Urahara Kisuke created after analyzing the water in my hot spring," Pompadour said. "Shut up and stay in the water. Wounds like yours won't take more than one night to heal, you'll even get healthier than you were before."

_Huh, _Ben thought. _Can't say much about these guys yet, but maybe they know what they're doing after all._

"Hey!" Pompadour yelled at Ichigo. "Don't let your towel fall into the water!"

Ichigo then realized the towel on his head had fallen off. "Oh?! S-sorry!"

"That's not the problem!" Pompadour yelled. "If you don't keep it properly on your head, the core of your reiatsu will come out and you'll die!"

"Eh?!" Ichigo freaked out.

_Then again..._Ben thought to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Greater Palace, a mysterious figure bowed. "Are you awake…Soul King?"

Before the figure was a being; humanoid in physique, with slicked-back dark hair, oval eyes with black sclera and unusual pupils and very thin eyebrows.

* * *

Back at the hot springs, things were getting weird. Pompadour, now revealed to be named Tenjiro, had called two guys by the name of Kazuo and Kazuhiro, to help Ichigo. And by "Help", that meant dunking Ichigo underwater. Ben had tried to intervene but Tenjiro got out of the pool and pinned Ben down.

"Hold it," Tenjiro said. "He needs to do this."

"Do what?" Ben asked as he struggled. "Drown?"

"Ninety-one!" Kazuo…or Kazuhiro, Ben couldn't tell them apart, said. "Ninety-two! Ninety-three! Ninety-," But that's as far as he got when Ichigo's foot shot out of the water and struck his nose. The man staggered back as Ichigo burst out of the water.

"You fail, idiot!" Tenjiro yelled at Ichigo. "Even a child could do that! Didn't they tell you when you were a brat? When you're having a bath, you must stay in the water and count to a hundred. Can't you even do that?"

"Who teaches their kid to count to a hundred underwater?!" Ben snapped, finally freeing himself.

"No kidding!" Ichigo yelled. "Besides, you're only supposed to stay up to your chin!"

Tenjiro groaned. "How annoying. Kazuo! Kazuhiro! Hold him down again!"

"Yes, Aniki!" one cried. They grabbed Ichigo and dunked him underwater.

"Don't be mad at us, boy," the other said as Ichigo started struggling.

Okay, Ben had had enough. He wasn't sure what the guy was hoping to accomplish but trying to drown Ichigo wasn't right. He activated the Omnitrix, turned the dial and slammed it down. In a flash of light, he turned into Water Hazard.

"Let's see how you like it!" Water Hazard said, blasting the two with jets of water, sending them flying back.

"Hey!" Tenjiro yelled at Water Hazard. "Don't interfere!" He suddenly punched Water Hazard, sending him flying now.

"Ben!" Ichigo cried out in concern before glaring at Tenjiro. "You bastard!" Reacting on instinct, Ichigo shot forward and struck Tenjiro right across the face.

"Aniki!" Kazuo and Kazuhiro yelled.

Ichigo tensed up, waiting for Tenjiro to react. Meanwhile, Water Hazard was in a daze from the blow. Okay, maybe these Zero Division guys weren't just weirdos after all. Water Hazard could actually feel the force of that blow. He looked down at his exoskeleton and even saw a dent where he had been hit.

Tenjiro gazed back at Ichigo. At first he and Ben thought the guy was going to attack, but instead he grabbed Ichigo's bandages and tore them off. "You're healed."

Ichigo looked at him in confusion before looking down at his chest. Tenjiro was right, all of his wounds were completely gone.

Water Hazard turned back to normal. Maybe there really was something to that hot spring after all.

Tenjiro turned his back to them. "You did all you had to do. I'll go through the formalities to send you to the next place."

"Next?" Ichigo asked. Ben was about to ask Tenjiro to elaborate when…

"Wait!" Ben and Ichigo turned to see Renji emerging from the hot spring. "I'm coming too!"

"Renji!" Ichigo was surprised to see him up and about. "What are you saying? You're still…"

Suddenly Tenjiro appeared in front of Renji and struck his abdomen. The force was enough to send the water in the hot spring shooting out. But Renji himself hadn't moved from the punch. He smirked at Tenjiro. "How's that? I wasn't sent flying away."

While Tenjiro was surprised, he noticed Renji's fist trembling slightly. With a shrug, Tenjiro turned around. "That's okay. If you can resist my punch then you're fine. Go!"

Renji smiled. "Ah. Yes!"

Soon Ichigo and Renji were fully dressed.

"How's your stomach?" Ichigo asked Ben.

Ben grumbled as he rubbed the spot he was hit. "Still a bit sore. The guy's a jerk but he throws a good punch. I wonder where we're going next."

"Ready!" Kazuo or Kazehiro shouted as he raised a hammer.

"Go!" the other cried.

With a mighty swing, one of the two hit a switch in the ground. And suddenly Ichigo, Renji, and Ben were sent flying into the air.

"Is this the only way to move around here?!" Ichigo screamed as they flew.

"Ben!" Renji cried. "Turn into something that can fly! Hurry!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Ben yelled as he fumbled with the Omnitrix to find a flying alien.

Tenjiro sat down as he watched them depart. "And so they're gone." He looked over at his two helpers. "Kazuo! Kazuhiro! I bet that was hard on you! You can take off your wet kimonos!"

"Yeah!" the two cried as they started throwing their clothes off, revealing their badly burned bodies.

"Oh my. If we weren't wearing those special protective clothes made with super spiritual thread, we'd rot and explode because of this "super recovery" water."

"It's incredible that they could stay naked with no ill effects inside Tenjiro-sama's Skeleton Hell and Blood Pond Hell. They were really amazing."

"Yeah," Tenjiro admitted. "They actually exceeded my expectations. Especially that Ichigo. That punch left quite the mark. It managed to crack my jaw." Both of his assistants were shocked by this news. "And that Ben guy. While he's annoying, he's got what it takes. I'm sure everyone else has already told him this but it's not the aliens themselves that makes him so dangerous. It's the fact that he's got so damn many. I can see why the Soul King would have faith in guys like those two."

**End of Chapter.**

**Well, Ben has met the Royal Guards and they're not quite what he expected. Next time, Ben gets to know more about Kirio Hikifune and Oetsu Nimaiya, the latter of which can help Ichigo restore his Zanpakuto. But when Nimaiya's plans for Ichigo go a little too far, Ben might have something to say about it. And Paradox brings someone new into the thrall. See what happens next time in "Meal and Sword."**

**For any of you Ten Piece fans out there, I allowed a writer named bloodyredrose1994 to adopt Ten Piece. They'll be doing the version with Ben, Kevin, and Gwen in the One Piece universe, while I can still do the version with Ben 10,000 in it, which I'm still working on the new title.**

**I forgot if I already said this, but my pal Pyromania101 has a story challenge for anyone interested. It's a Ben 10/Injustice: Gods Among Us crossover. If anyone is interested, see him for further details.**

**Also, I posted some story ideas I might do in the future on my profile, including the mentioned Ben 10/One Piece story. Take a look if anyone's interested.**

**See you all next chapter.**


	5. Meal and Sword

**Disclaimer: I don't not own Bleach or Ben 10.**

**Special thanks to Pyromania101 and Vandenbz. Thanks, guys!**

**Meal and Sword**

As the three boys were sent soaring through the air, Ben struggled to find an alien to transform into. Renji and Ichigo were not being very helpful though.

"Hurry up!" Renji cried.

"We're going to crash!" Ichigo added.

"I know that!" Ben snapped at them. "But I can't think with your shouting!" Normally he'd pick an alien in a heartbeat but with the two Shinigami freaking out, he couldn't concentrate. "Oh, the heck with it. Here goes something!" He slammed the Omnitrix dial down. When the green light faded, Bloxx stood in his place. "This could work."

"What is that?!" Renji yelled. "Some kind of toy?!"

"Just shut up!" Bloxx retorted. His body extended and twisted, forming a gigantic ball around Ichigo and Renji. "Brace for impact!"

The Bloxx ball slammed down with a mighty crash. Once he was certain that they were safe, Bloxx unfolded himself back to normal. Renji and Ichigo staggered to their feet, their bodies wobbling somewhat.

"Ugh," Renji rubbed his head. "Now I know what being shot out of a cannon feels like."

"Thanks for using Bloxx, Ben," Ichigo said.

"No prob," Bloxx said. He turned back to normal in a flash of light. "But I could've done without all the shouting and screaming you two were doing."

"Can you blame them?! We were about to die!"

Ben raised a brow. "Who said that?"

Ichigo reached into his robe and pulled out Kon.

Ben frowned. "Kon? What are you doing here?"

"He must have followed us when he heard about the hot springs," Ichigo said. "But when he learned they were filled with buff old guys, he decided to stay hidden."

Ben shook his head. "Should've known."

"Welcome!" Something slammed into the three boys, causing them to almost fall off the platform if they hadn't grabbed onto the edge. Ben looked to see what had nearly killed them. It was that Kirio woman. "Hello, Ichigo-chan! Renji-chan! Ben-chan! Welcome to my Gantondan! Let me entertain you!"

"Are…are they all morons here?!" Ichigo yelled, his heart pounding a samba in his chest as he struggled not to fall off the platform.

To be honest, Ben had to wonder the same exact thing.

* * *

Once they were all back on the platform, Ben, Ichigo, and Renji stood by Kirio. At first the three wondered where they were going, Ben deciding to look around. Much like the other platforms, there was an entire city in front of them. Kirio was leading them toward a building comprised from a number of adjoining, pillared rotundas. While the exterior of these structures were largely open, they had walls constructed from several, gigantic noren. The three boys and the plushy followed Kirio inside.

Before them was a table filled to the brim with food. Foods of all kinds and they looked absolutely mouth-watering. Ben, Ichigo, and Renji were all confused by the feast in front of them.

"We're eating before she does…whatever it is she's doing to do?" Ben asked.

"Looks like it," Renji said, not making any move towards the food.

Kon on the other hand was drooling at the display. Ben wasn't sure how a plush toy could drool but he was. "This is great! Let's eat! I'm so hungry right now!"

Ichigo grabbed him. "Idiot! There's no way they'd give us something like this for free! It's probably an excuse to train us hard! Don't let your guard down!"

"Ooh," Kirio said as she came in. "I see Urahara Kisuke made you quite suspicious. Don't worry. My Gantondan is the palace of food. My job is to fill your bellies! And…your job…is to fill your bellies! Come on! Eat as much as you like! I'm sure you're incredibly hungry."

As if on cue, groans came from Ichigo and Renji's stomachs. Ben felt his own stomach grumble but it wasn't as loud as theirs. He hadn't really eaten anything since coming to this universe. He was pretty hungry.

"Well, guys," he said. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. And don't pass up on free food." He grabbed a plate and started putting food on it. Renji and Ichigo looked at each other. Shrugging, they started grabbing food as well.

"What energy," Kirio said as she started to leave. "Eat everything! I'm going to prepare desert!"

Ben took a bite out of his food and his eyes widened. It. Was. Absolutely. Delicious!

Soon the three boys were stuffing their faces full of food. It was like an all you can eat buffet straight from heaven. Ben could never remember having tasted anything so good.

"So good," Ichigo moaned. "My chopsticks won't stop, Ben!"

"I know!" Ben said, food dropping from his mouth. "This is awesome!"

Renji was eyeing a piece of food that looked suspiciously like a cooked bug. Daringly he opened his mouth and took a bite out of it. His eyes' widened. "This is…I can't believe something so visually disgusting actually tastes so good! It's also really nice to chew! And it has this extremely good flavor that spreads in your mouth!"

Ichigo scowled at him. "Quit it. Your stupid report just makes my food taste bad."

Ben noticed Ichigo had just put his chopsticks down and sat with a troubled look on his face."What's up, Ichigo? You alright?"

"I"m fine," Ichigo replied but he still had that bothered look on his face. "Hey, guys. Is it really okay for us to do this? In Seireitei, everyone is training to be ready for the next battle…and in the meantime we're here just taking baths and eating and doing random stuff. Doing all this…is it really going to make us stronger?"

Ben pondered Ichigo's words. He had a good point. Everyone else was probably working hard while they were up here being pampered.

Renji deadpanned at Ichigo. "Are you stupid?"

Ichigo glared at him. "What?!"

"Think about it," Renji said. "We got wounded fighting, so we took a bath to heal those wounds. When your wounds heal, you get hungry. So we're here eating. It's actually pretty normal. If you only train without healing or eating, you're just gonna die. You can only endure hard training if your body is in perfect shape."

Ichigo blinked. "You know…sometimes you say smart things too."

Ben nearly choked on his food from trying to laugh at Ichigo's joke. Renji glared at Ichigo. "Shut up! If you agree, just eat more! You still can, right?"

"Of course!" Ichigo yelled as he started grabbing more plates and bowls. "I'm gonna eat more than you!"

"No, way!" Renji shot back. "I'll…"

Just then somebody came into the room. It was a lovely and well-endowed woman with a big smile on her face and wielding what appeared to be a giant spoon over her shoulder.

"I see you understood what I meant to say!" She beamed at them.

Ben, Ichigo, Kon, and Renji all spat their food out in shock.

"W-who are you?" Ben asked.

The woman smiled. "It's me, Hikifune Kirio."

"Huh?!" Ben's jaw dropped.

"When I cook, I use my reiatsu. Since it takes so much of my reiatsu to make this much food, I try to get as fat as possible so my body can endure the process." Hikifune said with a smile, her breasts bouncing as she moved.

"Huh," Ben said as he took all that in. "By any chance, are you related to a Rangiku Matsumoto?"

"Sorry, I'm not related to anyone by that name," Hikifune said. "Why?"

"No reason," Ben said, chuckling sheepishly.

"Anyway," Hikifune went on. "Renji-chan is right. What we're doing is the same you would normally do to get ready for training." Then she turned serious. "However, we're doing it on a scale worthy of the Soul King. Our ceremonies are filled with the power of the Soul King and a million years of Soul Society history. Even simple things like "treatment" and "food" are on a whole different level. Now just be quiet and prepare your bodies. So that you won't die in the next palace." Suddenly she presented a giant cake before them. "If you got it, have this desert too."

Ben felt his mouth water. That cake looked so delicious! He…couldn't…resist! Ben was the first to run over and take a generous portion from the cake. Hikifune just smiled as Ben just scarfed it down. The other three present, seeing that they had nothing to lose, decided they might as well and started eating some of the cake.

Once they were done, Hikifune led them away. Ben cringed when he saw that she was leading them to another platform to launch them into the sky.

"Can I go alien before you blast us off?" he half asked/half groaned.

"Of course," Hikifune said sweetly.

Ben activated the Omnitrix and scrolled through. After slamming the dial down, he transformed into Big Chill.

"My," Hikifune said. "That's a rather interesting looking alien."

Big Chill made his way to the launch platform while Renji and Ichigo stood on either side of him.

"The three of you," Hikifune said. "Be careful." The heroes looked at her in confusion. "I said that our "ceremonies" are filled with a million years of Soul Society's history. All of us members of the Zero Division are people who created something new in Soul Society. In other words, the Soul King acknowledged that all of us are "part of the history of Soul Society." What I created was the Artificial Soul and the technique to incorporating it inside the body. Before I created it, the idea of Artificial Soul, or temporary soul didn't exist. It's thanks to the concept of Artificial Soul that eventually the Gikon was invented."

Big Chill tapped his chin. "So basically very member of the Zero Division created something extremely important for Soul Society?"

"Exactly!" Hikifune smiled. "The essence of an Artificial Soul is to take something with a complete separate reiatsu than ours and incorporate it inside our body to raise our power level. You ate food made with the same idea. Now your bodies should contain a completely different kind of reiatsu."

Big Chill's eyes widened as he, Renji, and Ichigo looked down at themselves. The closes he had ever done to something like that was absorbing reishi with Feedback. Would there be some kind of weird side effect?

"I hope you can sense it," Hikifune said. "But still, be careful. I don't know what he will do in the next palace."

"He?" Big Chill asked.

"Yes. Oetsu Nimaiya of the Hōōden Palace is the man who created the Zanpakuto."

Big Chill's eyes really got wide now. There was a man who actually created the Zanpakuto?

"Now I'm about to launch you over there," Hikifune said. "I'll let you get ready first."

Big Chill nodded as he unfolded his wings and grabbed Ichigo and Renji by the back of their robes. Ichigo and Renji looked at Big Chill and nodded.

"Ready!" Big Chill called to Hikifune.

Hikifune slammed the switch and the group was blasted into the air. Once they were airborne, Big Chill started flapping his wings.

"Don't drop us!" Renji yelled.

"Relax," Big Chill chuckled as he flew to the next platform. "Big Chill is stronger than he looks."

Ichigo hoped so. He was trying not to look down as they flew through the air. In no time he felt his feet touching what he hoped was ground. He felt himself placed down and Big Chill letting go of him. Ichigo peeked one eye open to see that they were standing on some kind of tall platform overlooking the city. Opening both eyes now, he let out a sigh of relief. That was better than simply falling and crashing, but a lot scarier too.

Ben turned back to normal. "So this is the next city. I wonder where that Nimaiya guy's at."

"And more importantly!" Kon yelled, popping out of Ichigo's robes. "Why did you guys take me?! I wanted to stay in that paradise!"

Ben rolled his eyes. During the last few days of his previous stay in this universe, he had learned how perverted Kon was. Which meant he knew exactly why Kon wanted to stay with Hikifune.

Suddenly the foursome's attention was drawn to some spotlights that were shining down on them. The boys covered their eyes from the light as they tried to figure out what was going on.

"Guests!" a voice boomed on a megaphone. "Have a seat!"

Ben, Ichigo, and Renji covered their ears because the voice was so loud.

"You're holding your heads too high! In other words…" Suddenly a figure appeared in a puff of smoke, his hands reaching for the sky. "Your heads are so high! I am the number one Zanpakuto creator! Nimaiya Oetsu! N.I.C.E. T.O. M.E.E.T. Y.A! Nice to meet ya! Zanpakuto!" He pointed at them. "Love it!"

So that was him. The last member of the Zero Division. Ben had been wondering about what kind of personality he had. And it looked like he was just as fruity as the rest of them.

* * *

Soon the group was led to a large and extravagant looking palace. This guy seemed to be the flashiest out of the Zero Division. At least, until Ben got a look at the remaining two's palaces. On the front of the palace were the words 'Galaxy' and then a word in Japanese. Ben wondered if it meant Hōōden like Hikifune mentioned.

When they went inside, they noticed that they weren't alone. Standing before them was a bunch of beautiful women wearing white robes that showed their arms and cleavage.

"Welcome!" the women greeted the stunned boys. Suddenly the girls started swarming them.

"Kyaaah!"

"You're showing so much skin! Sexy!"

"Cute!"

"Which one is Ichigo-kun?"

"Dummy! It's the one with the orange hair!"

"The redhead must be Renji-kun!"

"And that means the one with the jacket is the legendary Ben-kun!"

Ben brightened up. "Legendary?"

"You sure are!" one girl said, throwing her arm around Ben and pressing up against him. "Brave, caring, not to mention cute. If only you were a Shinigami. I would love to be your partner!"

Ben raised a brow, more confused than flattered. "Partner?"

"Yep. But then again, nobody said humans can't have Zanpakuto," the girl said.

Ben was only getting more and more confused. "Zanpakuto? What does that have to do with…"

The girl giggled. "We're Zanpakuto silly!"

Ben, Ichigo, and Renji all gawked at her news. "You're what?!"

"We're the physical manifestation of Zanpakuto," another girl, who was getting closer to Ichigo, explained.

"Whoa!" Ben stared. "Zanpakuto can do that?"

"All that and more, Ben-chan!" Ben turned around to see Nimaiya behind them. "Allow me to introduce myself! I'm Oetsu Nimaiya, owner of this Hōōden." He threw his arms up. "Nice to meet ya!"

"Err," Ben said. "Nice to meet ya!"

"And Ben-chan! Sweet move that you did on Tenjiro," Nimaiya grinned. "I can't wait to see more of your badass aliens in action. 'Course, if you ever want a Zanpakuto, I'm sure these lovely ladies wouldn't mind."

Ben looked back at the giggling girls. Zanpakuto spirits. Urahara might have mentioned something about Zanpakuto being sentient beings…or not. Ben couldn't remember if Urahara told him the exact details regarding Zanpakuto. It reminded him of the sentient Ultimate aliens back when he had the Ultimatrix. Only these girls were a lot nicer. "So…since you're the guy who made Zanpakuto…are you the one who can fix Ichigo's Zanpakuto?"

Nimaiya tapped his chin. "I might…if they ask the right way. Like this?"

He got down, clasped his arms together, and suddenly stood upside down with his legs straight in the air. Ben, Ichigo, and Renji all blanched at the pose.

"I can't do that pose…" Ichigo started to protest when Renji grabbed his shoulder.

"Cool down, Ichigo," Renji said. "We have to!"

Ichigo clenched his jaw. "Shit." With having no other choice, he and Ichigo mimicked the pose Nimaiya was doing. "Please!"

"Nice pose!" Nimaiya said, pulling out what appeared to be a cellphone and snapping a picture. He showed the camera to the girls. "What do you think, my honey-chans?

The girls began giggling.

"OMG! That is so yummy!"

"Like a banana!"

"Cuuute!"

Ben sweat-dropped. They had been played so badly. He could just imagine how angry Renji and Ichigo were.

"How long are you gonna keep that up?" A bare foot hit Nimaiya in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. The foot belonged to a slender young girl with spiky hair, which was tied up in a ponytail at the back. She wore a vest with a large, furred collar, and a short skirt.

"What're ya doing, Mera-chan?" Nimaiya whined at her.

Mera folded her arms. "With Master, it's never gonna start. Follow me."

The group was now standing before a small, run-down looking shack at the edge of some kind of cliff, overlooking a massive body of water.

"This is the real Hōōden," Mera explained to the group while Nimaiya hung his head in shame. "Master created those dubious things because he doesn't want to acknowledge that he lives here. Come inside." She started going inside.

"Noooo!" Kon whined. "I don't wanna live in this hell! Take me back to Heaven!"

Nimaiya clasped his paws. "Ya took the words right out of my mouth, mysterious plushie-chan! We're Soul Brothers!"

"Good grief," Ben mumbled under his breath as he followed Ichigo and Renji inside. But the moment they stepped in, they were falling. The four landed on their feet, hard.

"Ouch," Ichigo muttered.

"Took the words right outta my mouth," Ben rubbed his legs.

"Hey!" Renji yelled up at Nimaiya. "What the hell?!"

"Yeah, yeah," Nimaiya replied nonchalantly. "Kurosaki-chan, Abarai-chan. Are you curious as to why you couldn't tell those honey-chans apart from Zanpakuto?"

Ichigo looked up at Nimaiya in confusion.

"You can tell the difference?" Ben asked.

"Well, a human wouldn't," Nimaiya admitted. "No offense Ben-chan. But Shinigami usually can. The reason these two couldn't tell is because they've got no love for their Zanpakuto."

Ben blinked. "Love?"

"That's right," Nimaiya suddenly produced two objects from behind his back. The trio's eyes widened when they recognized the objects as the two Shinigami's shattered Zanpakuto.

"When did you…" Renji started to ask when Nimaiya suddenly struck the broken swords together, shattering them further and shocking the three.

Nimaiya shook his head sadly. "Zanpakuto that ain't loved…really break so easily. The wrath of the Zanpakuto are all around you."

Ben was about to ask what he meant when he realized that they weren't alone. Eyes were glaring back at them from all around. It was like those cartoons whenever a character wanders into a dark cave.

"If you can get out alive," Nimaiya said. "I might as well reforge your Zanpakuto."

Ichigo looked up at him. "What?"

"I'll say it once more," Nimaiya said, raising a hand up. "I am the number one Zanpakuto creator. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, and in the end three. I am Nimaiya Oetsu. My swords ain't for weaklings."

Ichigo glared at him. "Bastard!"

Nimaiya smiled at them. "Have fuuuun!"

The figures started getting closer.

"There's something I don't like…" Renji said. "A lot."

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "What are they?"

"You don't have to be scared," Nimaiya smiled. "You should know them well. They're the strongest Zanpakuto. They can become anything. The Asauchi."

Soon Ben could make out the figures. They were big and muscular, with blank faces and mouths for eyes.

"There are over 6,000 members of the Gotei 13, all of whom are given a nameless Zanpakuto upon first entering the academy," Nimaiya explained. "All Shinigami must spend every waking moment with their Zanpakuto and as they progress in their training, they slowly and methodically imprint the essence of their soul into their Asauchi. It is in this manner that they guide and mold "their own Zanpakuto." And the boss in charge of making these bad boys? You guessed it…this sexy bastard right here! Blade God, Nimaiya Oetsu, ya dig?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Ichigo shouted at him. "So these guys are the physical manifestations of those Asauchi right? But what does that have to do with these guys attacking us?"

"So close!" Nimaiya shouted, pointing at Ichigo. "Manifestation…so close…so close… It's actually somewhat different but that'll do for now. All you really need to know is…that they hate your guts right now."

"They hate us?" Ben asked. "Why?!"

"Oh they have nothing against you personally, Ben-chan," replied Nimaiya. "It's the other two and how they use their Zanpakuto."

Ben tilted his head. "Huh?"

"How do they fight? How do they swing it? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! What's wrong? The basis is wrong! Have you been using them as tools? Been treating them like subordinates? Relying on them like your buddies? Family? Friends? A senior? Junior? Pet? Acquaintance? Loved one? Lover? Stop fooling around! This is what they think of ya. The basis is all wrong! Let's start talking from this. The Zanpakuto or the Shinigami, which will come out on top?"

This was starting to get eerily familiar to those Ultimate forms and how they had felt. Were the Asauchi feeling the same way? Nimaiya had said something about loving the blade. Were the Asauchi upset because they weren't being loved? Ben had little time to think as the Asauchi started getting closer. As much as Ben wanted to figure this out, he knew it wouldn't do much good to just let these guys tear him apart. He quickly activated the Omnitrix and then slammed the dial down. In a flash of light, he became Humongousaur.

Time to rumble.

The Asauchi swarmed them like a plague of locusts. Humongousaur roared as he began punching the oncoming attackers. They came in waves but so far the mighty Vaxasaurian was holding his ground. As he grabbed two of the Asauchi and threw them off, he noticed something. The Asauchi weren't attacking him directly. They were trying to get to Renji and Ichigo!

Nimaiya chuckled. "So you're joining the fight, Ben-chan? Nice looking alien you got there. But, the Asauchi ain't interested in you. They're after the Shinigami."

Renji dispatched one of his attackers with a punch before elbowing another one while Ichigo sent an Asauchi flying with a kick. But Nimaiya was right, the Asauchi were more focused on the two Shinigami than they were of the shapeshifter. Gritting his teeth, Humongousaur charged forward, sweeping a large portion of the oncoming Asauchi out of the way.

"Heh," Renji smirked. "No sweat. We can take these guys with Ben here."

Humongousaur frowned. "Why does that sound like I'm gonna be doing all the work?"

He suddenly became aware of the Asauchi focusing on him. Apparently they had registered that the big dinosaur was getting in their way to the Shinigami. So if they wanted the Shinigami, they would have to take out the dinosaur first.

"Oh, man."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the planet Galvan Prime, the great Azmuth was tinkering around with his research that Paradox had supplied him with. Needless to say he was utterly fascinated. The Galvans always knew that some universes were different and others shared similarities, but still…

"I know you're there," Azmuth said without bothering to look up from his work.

Professor Paradox walked up to him. "Azmuth. It is time."

"Is it now?" Azmuth said, finally pausing from his work. "I must say, this should prove interesting."

"What did you think of what I've shown you?" Paradox asked.

"Quite impressed, I must admit," Azmuth said, stroking his whiskers. "Those two are more similar than I imagined. Nonetheless, perhaps that's the reason why he intrigues me so much. But will _we _make a difference in this?" Paradox just smiled at him, leaving Azmuth to sigh. "Very well. Let us be on our way."

"Wait!" a soft voice called. "Please let me come too."

Paradox and Azmuth looked toward the one who addressed them. Paradox smiled.

"Absolutely, my dear."

Azmuth grumpily sighed. "Very well. Come along."

"Thank you. I can't wait to be home."

* * *

In Hueco Mundo, Harribel was sitting off the side thinking. Urahara had sent Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora off to the far reaches of Hueco Mundo for reasons he would not share. But apparently Paradox had instructed the Arrancar that they were to wait until he came for them. Why, she didn't know. She suspected the professor only revealed things when he chose to. In the meantime, she would simply train with her girls until he came for them.

"Something wrong, Tia?"

Harribel looked over at Nelliel, who had just addressed her. Her predecessor. Although the woman had moments of childishness, she was a strong, intelligent, and noble warrior. Harribel felt honored to have been given the same rank as her.

"Just trying to understand the professor's motives," Harribel replied.

Nelliel giggled. "He loves being all mysterious since he knows so much. But I'm sure he has a reason."

"Perhaps," Harribel said. "I am not all that familiar with him aside from what Eon said."

Nelliel looked over at their Fraccion. Pesche and Dondochakka were doing their usual antics. Despite Nelliel returning to her former state, they couldn't resist acting up to keep things lively.

"Do you want to spar some?" Nelliel asked her successor. "I've always wanted to know what my replacement's like."

Harribel eyed Nelliel curiously. Did Nelliel hold some grudge over being replaced?

Nelliel smiled at her. "I know you're strong and that you're a really good person. I'm glad someone like you was able to become Tercera."

That statement took Harribel by surprise. She would understand if Nelliel was upset at someone else for having her rank, but Harribel certainly hadn't expected compliments. "T-thank you," she managed to get out and then mentally chided herself for stuttering.

"Come on," Nelliel said, picking up her sword. "It'll pass the time till Paradox gets back."

Harribel looked over at her Fraccion, who were interacting with Nelliel's. They seemed to be doing alright. Starrk was napping on a sand hill while Lilynette was having some fun burying his body in the sand. Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen and Ulquiorra was off to the side, staring into the distance.

Harribel narrowed her eyes. Ulquiorra was acting very strangely and even more reclusive than ever. Something was on his mind, she was certain. But she didn't know what it could possibly be.

"Tia," Nelliel called. "You coming?"

Harribel looked back over at Nelliel. "I'm on my way."

* * *

Shocksquatch roared as he fired lightning at the Asauchi that attacked him. And just like that, they slumped to the ground in a smoking heap. Needless to say, the fight with the Asauchi had been a long and tedious one. Humongousaur alone couldn't cut it, so Ben had been forced to switch aliens from time to time. How long had they been fighting down here? It felt like hours, maybe even days.

As if reading Ben's mind, Nimaiya spoke up. "71 hours…and 48 minutes…just around 3 days and nights."

Shocksquatch's eyes widened. 3 days and nights?! How? How could he have been going for so long? Why didn't he feel more tired than he should be? Why hadn't the Omnitrix timed out? Shocksquatch's eyes widened. Was it because of that food he ate back at Hikifune's palace? Did it do something to him and his transformations?

"Your game was on point," Nimaiya said. "Ya' got the skills to pay the bills. Ya' pass with flying colors, Renji-chan!"

Ben looked over at Renji, who was standing among other defeated Asauchi.

"Ben-chan," Nimaiya called. "I must say that I'm impressed. All of those aliens I saw are the real deal. You're awesome, man!"

"Err…thanks."

"But…looks like one of you fails. Huh, Ichigo-chan?"

Ben looked over at Ichigo to see him lying on the ground. He was bleeding, his clothes were torn, Ichigo was in rough shape. Ben had been so caught up in the fighting, he hadn't noticed till now.

"Wa…wait," Ichigo said weakly as he tried to get up. "I can still…"

"Nope," Nimaiya said. "Not gonna wait. It's over. Ya failed, Ichigo-chan."

"I can still do it!" Ichigo yelled as he put more effort into getting up. "Please let me try…it's not like the time is over, is it?"

"Time's not over," Nimaiya replied. "But my patience is. It ain't a matter of whether or not ya can do it or not. The Asauchi didn't choose ya. That's all. Can't be helped. It's over, Ichigo-chan."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Wait!" he cried.

"You're a pain to watch," Nimaiya said, turning his back on him. "You were dumped, don't be whining forever. During these 3 days, I understood that Renji-chan's a Shinigami and you're not. It's okay. I'll open the way for ya. You can just…go back home."

Ichigo, Renji, and Ben all stared at Nimaiya in utter shock.

"Hey, hold on!" Ben shouted but to no avail.

"Mera-chan," Nimaiya said to Mera. "Take him out."

"Ah," Mera simply said as she jumped in and grabbed Ichigo.

"W-wait! No way!" Ichigo yelled in protest.

"Ichigo!" Ben shouted as Mera leaped back to the entrance with Ichigo.

"Ah, yeah," Nimaiya said. "Never come back to Soul Society. That's a place for Shinigami. You're just a human without even a Zanpakuto. It ain't a place for you."

Ichigo glared at him. "Jerk. I've come this far. Don't think I'll just go home now. What will happen to Zangetsu if I leave?"

Nimaiya looked back at him. "It won't change either way. Zangetsu won't be fixed. Well…I won't fix it."

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"I told ya. I have no swords for a fake Shinigami."

Consumed with anger, Ichigo managed to free himself from Mera and charged at Nimaiya. "Bastard!"

Nimaiya raised his hands. Suddenly Ichigo was wrapped up in some kind of Kido. A black portal opened up behind him.

Nimaiya saluted him off. "Bye, bye, bye, Ichigo-chan!"

Suddenly a green light flashed from the hut and white bandages shot out, grabbing Ichigo and pulling him out of the portal just as it was about to close. Ichigo looked to see Snare-oh stepping out of the hut, the mummy-ish alien using his bandages to place him gently on the ground.

"Ben," Ichigo gave a weak smile at his friend.

Snare-oh said nothing as he released Ichigo from his bandages. Then, he transformed back to being Ben. The hero said nothing as he started stomping over to Nimaiya. Before anyone could react, Ben slugged the stunned man right across the face, the blow knocking him to the ground.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" he bellowed.

Nimaiya calmly picked himself up, ignoring the small trickle of blood going down his lip. "I should've known you would protest to this, Ben-chan."

"What's the big idea?" Ben demanded. "Why did you try to kick Ichigo out instead of helping him?!"

"Ichigo-chan doesn't belong here," Nimaiya said. "Simple as that."

Ben angrily grabbed Nimaiya by his collar and yanked him forward so that they were face to face. "I wanna know why!"

"Because he's not a real Shinigami," Nimaiya replied casually.

Ben felt his anger rising again. This guy was just being a broken record. He refused to let Ichigo just be cast aside like this without so much as a decent explanation. Fed up with Soul Society messing around with his friends, Ben shoved Nimaiya to the ground.

"It was a waste of time coming here," he said before turning to Ichigo. "Come on, Ichigo. Let's find someone else to fix your Zanpakuto. I doubt he's the only one who can do it."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I am," Nimaiya said with a hint of smugness. "And there's no way I'm gonna repair a fake Shinigami's Zanpakuto."

"Oh, I believe that you're being a bit too full of yourself, Nimaiya."

In a flash of light, Professor Paradox appeared with Azmuth riding on his shoulder. It looked like there was someone behind Paradox but Ben couldn't make them out.

Nimaiya turned serious upon seeing Paradox. "Well, well. The infamous Professor Paradox. You became quite the talk after the Winter War. Guy who can go anywhere and anywhen he wanted. So, what brings you here?"

Just then the person behind Paradox came into view. Ben's eyes widened upon seeing who it was.

"Harribel? What are you doing here?"

Ichigo blinked in confusion. "Harribel? What are you talking about, Ben? That's Inoue."

"Inoue?" Renji asked. "What are you guys talking about? That's Rukia."

Okay, something was wrong here in Ben's opinion. Why did Ichigo and Renji think Harribel was Orihime and Rukia?

Nimaiya frowned. "You naughty thing, messing with their heads like that."

'Harribel' chuckled. "You should know me better than that…father."

"Huh?!" All three boys shouted at once.

'Harribel' turned to face them. "The forms you see before you are nothing but mere illusions. I am not Harribel, Inoue, or Rukia."

Ichigo glared at her. "Then you are?"

'Harribel' smiled at him. "We have met before, but you have never seen me in a manifested form."

"Manifes…you're a Zanpakuto!" Ben realized.

"If you're a Zanpakuto," Renji said, "then what's your name? And how are you doing this?"

The stranger smiled. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet? I am Kyoka Suigetsu."

The trio's eyes widened again.

"Aizen's Zanpakuto!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Kyoka Suigetsu bowed her head. "I want you to know that I don't bear any grudges against you and I apologize for the way Aizen used me against all of you and your friends."

All three boys were still tense. "So that's why you look like different people to each of us," Ben figured out.

"That's right," Kyoka Suigetsu said. "Since I have the power to control the five normal senses, altering my appearance to different people's perspective is child's play."

"But we never saw you release!" Renji pointed out.

Kyoka chuckled. "In my manifested form, I can use my powers freely. You three were under my power the moment you laid eyes on me."

Well that left the boys in a state of shock and unease.

"Stop it, Kyoka," Paradox lightly chided her.

Kyoka Suigetsu giggled. "I just couldn't resist, Professor."

Ben felt a shiver run up his spine. It was so strange seeing her act so childish while looking like Harribel. "So, Professor. Azmuth. What brings you two here?"

"I knew that when Ichigo encountered the Zero Division, he would eventually be sent to Nimaiya for repairs. I also knew that the events would lead to less than pleasing results."

"So you should know why he needs to leave as well," Nimaiya put in. Ben was about to lash out but he felt that there was something cryptic in Nimaiya's tone. Was there something that the Zero Division member was keeping to himself?

"Yes," Paradox said. "But I suppose after all he's been through, Ichigo does deserve for someone to throw him the proverbial bone."

Azmuth leapt off of Paradox's shoulder. "And if that doesn't work, I can always help the boy restore his Zanpakuto."

Ichigo stared in shock. "You…you can do that?"

"My boy, I'm the smartest being in five galaxies. It shouldn't be too difficult."

Nimaiya was getting tense, Ben could feel it. Was he upset that someone else was offering to fix Zangetsu?

"But…why would you help me?" Ichigo asked.

Azmuth smiled kindly at Ichigo. "Paradox has shown me your life, Ichigo Kurosaki. While I admit that you are often thickheaded and easily angered, you are brave, courageous, thoughtful of others, and willing to put your life on the line for their sake. Seeing all the ordeals you've been through, I must say I am quite impressed. You and Ben Tennyson are a lot alike. So much in fact that I would be proud if _you_ were to use my Omnitrix as well."

Ichigo stared at Azmuth. The fact that the Omnitrix's creator found him worthy of using it like Ben was an honor.

"If this Nimaiya fails to actually repair your Zanpakuto, then I will gladly do it in his place," Azmuth went on.

"Hold on!" Nimaiya protested angrily. "You can't!"

"Why not?" Ben asked. "You won't do it so what's wrong with someone else doing it instead?"

"That's not the issue!" Nimaiya barked.

Ben folded his arms. "Oh really? Then what is it?"

Nimaiya ground his teeth and shook in anger.

Ben's eyes narrowed. "I'm starting to think there's something else going on besides you just not wanting to fix Ichigo's Zanpakuto. Care to tell us what it is?"

Nimaiya glared at Ben. "This is something he needs to figure out on his own."

"So, there was another reason for you wanting to kick Ichigo out of Soul Society," Ben said. "But that's no excuse. What is going on?"

"If I say anything, it will only stunt Ichigo's growth," Nimaiya excused himself.

Ben threw his arms into the air. "Oh come on! _This _is why I hate all this cryptic stuff!" He then pointed at Nimaiya. "And don't be a hypocrite. The only person stunting Ichigo's growth right now is _you_."

"He needs to get back to his roots," Nimaiya replied, though his left eyebrow twitched from Ben's remark. "That's all I'm saying."

"Roots?" Ichigo asked. "What are you talking about?"

Renji just stood silent, folding his arms and watching the events play out.

Ben played Nimaiya's words over and over in his mind. Get back to his roots. Get back to his roots?

"His parents," Ben realized. "Does this have something to do with his parents?"

Ichigo's head shot up at the realization. His parents. A shinigami and a human. Was that what Nimaiya meant?

Nimaiya said nothing, just glaring at them defiantly. Ben was starting to lose his temper again.

"How about we make a wager," Paradox said to Nimaiya. "I shall tell Ichigo part of the truth. If he wants to learn more, I will take him back to Karakura Town for him to learn more. But if he chooses to have his powers restored first, then you will help him."

"I'm telling you, this is a bad idea!" Nimaiya yelled. "He needs to figure this all out by himself. Without help!"

"Why?" Ben asked. "What's wrong with having help? I've had help whenever I saved the universe!"

Nimaiya frowned. Things just weren't going the way he wanted.

"And if you don't want to do it, I will help him regardless," Azmuth threw in.

Nimaiya groaned. "Fine."

Paradox nodded before looking over at Ichigo. "Your mother was not a human."

Ichigo felt as if time had stopped. "What?"

"Or rather, she was not an ordinary human," Paradox elaborated. "Your mother was a Quincy."

Now the atmosphere became thick with that piece of information. Ichigo felt as if something had clubbed him on the head. His mouth didn't want to work. He felt frozen to his spot.

Ben was also processing this information. What Yhwach had said was true? Ichigo's mom really had been a Quincy and therefore Ichigo belonged to them?

"My mom…a Quincy?" Ichigo asked.

Paradox nodded. "What you will do with this information is up to you. Will you go to Karakura Town to learn more and risk not having Zangetsu repaired? Or will you stay here, having him restored, but have this knowledge hover over you till you _can _learn the truth?"

Ben looked over at his friend in concern.

Ichigo fell flat on his rear, holding his head in his hands. A Quincy? His mother had been a Quincy this entire time? He was the son of both a Shinigami and a Quincy? What did this mean? How did his parents meet? How did they even fall in love? Ichigo shook his head. Paradox had dropped a large bomb. Ichigo could either go home, learn what happened, but risk losing Zangetsu. Or he could stay here, get Zangetsu restored, but have the questions eat away at him with the possibility that he would never find the answers?

"You know," Ben realized. "Couldn't we just bring Isshin here and have him explain this to us?"

"It's Ichigo's choice," Paradox said. "Besides, I don't think Isshin really wants to return to Soul Society at the moment."

"Here or Karakura Town," Nimaiya put in. "Which one is Ichigo-chan going to choose? I recommend Karakura Town. He'll get the answers for sure. If he doesn't figure it out, he ain't up to snuff. _Ouch_!"

Ben punched him yet again before walking over to Ichigo. "Ichigo, man."

Ichigo looked up at him. "Yeah, Ben?"

"Whatever your decision, I'll respect it. But I want you to know, it doesn't matter to me what you are."

Ichigo blinked.

"Did your race matter when we invaded Hueco Mundo? Did your race matter when we beat Aizen? Does your race decide who you are? No. You. Are. Kurosaki. Ichigo. That is _WHO_ you are, that is _WHAT_ you are, and that is all you will ever be and ever _NEED_ to be."

Ichigo stared at Ben while Paradox and Azmuth smiled proudly. Renji gave a light grin while Kyoka Suigetsu studied Ben with a careful eye. Nimaiya had to admit that he was impressed. It looked like there was more to the kid than just his watch.

Ichigo took Ben's words in and realized that he was right. It DIDN'T matter what he was or what powers he had. He was Kurosaki Ichigo and he was going to protect those closest to him. He could always find out the answers later, so he would wait until the Vandenreich were finished. But once that was over, his dad had a lot to answer for.

Ichigo smiled at Ben. "Thanks, man."

Ben grinned back. "No prob, Ichigo."

"So," Nimaiya said slowly. "You wanna stay?"

Ichigo nodded. "I do. The answers can wait. Right now I've got more important things to worry about."

Nimaiya shrugged. "Alright. But if this stunts your growth, don't come crying to me."

Ichigo went back into the hut and jumped inside. He was ready for these creatures now. He wouldn't let them stand in his way. But this time the Asauchi were doing something he didn't expect. They were bowing down to him. Ichigo went over to one and reached out his hand. The Asauchi reached out in kind. The moment their hands connected, the blackness of the Asauchi began drift off like ash in the wind.

"You're the one," Ichigo said to it. The being before him now looked like a pure white version of himself. And when the creature raised its head, Ichigo's eyes slightly widened to notice that it bore a resemblance to his Hollow self.

"Well, well. That looks pretty bad-ass," Nimaiya said. "Bring him here. I'll personally forge it for you. Mera-chan! Get ready!"

"Sure," Mera said, walking off.

Ichigo climbed up with the Asauchi in tow. Ben stared in surprise at the creature. "Is that your Zanpakuto spirit?'

"Yeah," Ichigo replied.

Ben grinned again. "Knew you could do it."

Ichigo grinned back. "Thanks to you."

_Wow, _Nimaiya thought. _That Ben kid is more impressive than I thought. _Then he rubbed his face. _Can throw a pretty good punch too._

"Nimaiya," Paradox said. "I will let you know that I will be keeping a close eye on you. If you try any funny business with Ichigo, I will deal with you accordingly."

Nimaiya nodded. "Understood. Come on, Renji-chan. Ichigo-chan. Time to get going."

Before they could ask, what appeared to be the entrance to some kind of pipe appeared from within the hut and stood at the entrance of the door.

"Alright, boys. Protect your necks!" Nimaiya then pushed Renj, Ichigo, and the Asauchi into the pipe before jumping after them. Renji and Ichigo's screams could be heard from within.

Ben looked over at Paradox. "So…do we follow them?"

Paradox shook his head. "You have business elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" Ben asked.

Azmuth chuckled. "I believe some friends of yours are waiting for you."

Ben raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what they meant. Then his eyes widened. "Harribel!"

Kyoka Suigetsu smiled. "Harribel must be quite special to you to immediately think of her."

Ben blushed deeply at her words. "She's just a really great friend."

The Zanpakuto smiled coyly. "Of course she is."

"So…why are you here, Kyoka Suigetsu?" Ben asked.

"You can just call me Kyoka," she said. "As for why I'm here…well let's just say I was feeling a little homesick. The Galvan homeworld is nice but a bit stiffy for my tastes."

"Hmph," Azmuth snorted.

"And perhaps…I was hoping to see you again," Kyoka said to Ben.

Ben pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Of course. You and the Shinigami boy are the ones responsible for Aizen's defeat," Kyoka explained.

"Are…are you really not upset about that?" Ben asked.

"I'm not," Kyoka said. "Even with my incredible powers, Aizen saw me as a mere tool to make ends meet. I was fully aware of the rant you gave him and you were right. He did hide behind me when things became difficult for him. He considered my powers second to his "superior" intellect and acted like he was the one who did all the work. And when he fused with that Hogyoku, he cared even less about me. No doubt he would have discarded me entirely had you not separated us. So I greatly appreciate your actions."

_Wow, _Ben thought. _Even Aizen's own sword hated him._

"So, will you be staying with us?" Ben asked.

Kyoka nodded. "I would like that. It's nice to be free of Aizen and do what I want for a change. And considering that Ichigo is busy right now, that leaves just you."

Ben scratched his head. "Well, when you put it like that." He held out his hand. "Glad to have ya."

Kyoka just smirked as she grabbed Ben's hand, pulled him closer, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ben's eyes widened considerably and his jaw dropped in shock.

Kyoka smirked. "So predictable. But I wonder…are you blushing because I kissed you? Or are you blushing because you thought Harribel did it?"

Ben grumbled in frustration and turned away while Kyoka giggled.

"Well, it looks like everything worked out fine," Azmuth said. "Our presence wasn't really necessary but it was interesting nonetheless. I wonder if I could take one of these Asauchi back to Galvan Prime with me for research."

"That'd be cool," Ben said. "I actually think it would be awesome to have a Zanpakuto."

Kyoka turned back to Ben. She tapped her chin with a contemplative look on her face. "Hmm."

"Well," Paradox said. "We've done all we can here. Soul Society knows what to expect from the Vandenreich and the Vandenreich in turn will take time repairing their base. Now it's time to focus on ourselves. Back to Hueco Mundo."

The group was engulfed in light and vanished from the palace without a trace.

* * *

Harribel had to admit, she was impressed with Nelliel as she ducked a slash. Her predecessor was indeed a powerful fighter. She lunged with Tiburon but Nelliel flipped over her, swinging Gamuza down but Harribel managed to block her in time.

"Great move," Nelliel said with a smile. "You're really good."

"So are you," Harribel complimented.

Their Fraccion were watching the spectacle.

"Go Nelliel-sama!" Pesche and Dondochakka cheered.

"You can do it, Harribel-sama!" Mila Rose and Apacci shouted as Sung-Sun looked on.

Starrk, Lilynette, Grimmjow, and Ulquiorra were all standing to the side, watching the fight continue.

"I'm bored," Grimmjow said as he started walking off.

"Where are you going?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Anywhere," Grimmjow retorted. "Just sitting here waiting is boring. I need something to keep me busy."

Suddenly a flash of light appeared. Everyone shielded their eyes till the light faded away. When they could see again, they saw Ben and Paradox and two others with them.

"Ben!" Nelliel called happily, running over and tackling Ben with a hug. Ben felt his bones starting to crack from the hug.

"Nelliel! Spine…breaking!"

Nelliel quickly released Ben, giggling sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Ben!" Lilynette called. "About time you got here!"

"Heh. Sorry about that, Lilynette," Ben said. "Got a little side-tracked."

Harribel and Nelliel's Fraccion got up and joined them.

"Ben!" Pesche and Dondochakka happily dog-piled their human friend.

"Errk," Ben groaned. "Hey, guys. Great to see ya."

"About time," Grimmjow groaned before looking at the woman next to them. "What the? Who is she?"

Ben looked at Kyoka, who's appearance now resembled a tall woman with long black hair wearing a blue kimono.

"Hello, dear Espada," she said with a smile. "It's nice to see you all again." She looked over at Harribel. "I do apologize for when I slashed and stabbed you. If it's any consolation, I didn't do it of my own free will."

Harribel frowned behind her collar. "What? Just who are you?"

Kyoka smiled. "I am the manifested form of Kyoka Suigetsu."

All the Arrancar's eyes widened in shock upon her declaration.

"A-Aizen's Zanpakuto?" Starrk asked.

Kyoka nodded.

"What is this shit?" Grimmjow asked. "You expect me to believe that this bitch is Aizen's Zanpakuto?"

Kyoka smirked at him. "I'm not surprised you don't believe me, Grimmjow. Aizen never did pick you for your brains. A pity Suzumushi* got to cut your arm off and not me."

Grimmjow stared at her in shock. "What did you…?"

"And I would have made sure you never got it back," Kyoka finished with a smirk.

"You bitch!" Grimmjow lunged at her and before Kyoka could do anything, Grimmjow stabbed his hand straight through her.

"Damn…you…" Kyoka said weakly.

"Grimmjow, no!" Ben yelled, running to them.

Grimmjow smirked. "Try and make fun of me now, bitch!"

"Okay."

Suddenly Grimmjow felt something through his Hollow hole. He looked down and saw…a hand! He turned his head to see Kyoka Suigetsu waving at him. Confused he looked over at the other Kyoka he just stabbed, only to see her start cracking as if made of glass. She suddenly dispersed into nothingness, leaving Grimmjow and the other Kyoka.

Harribel slightly shivered at the sight and Nelliel noticed. "Something wrong?" she asked.

The sight reminded Harribel terribly of when Aizen had used his illusions to nearly kill her. "Just some bad memories."

Kyoka's face turned wicked. "I am Aizen's Zanpakuto, Grimmjow. Only I could create such incredible illusions. And I don't need Aizen to achieve them. Keep yourself in line, Grimmjow…or I will truly make your existence a living Hell."

Grimmjow felt himself frozen with fear. She was acting just like Aizen. Or even worse. "F-Fine," he muttered.

Kyoka smiled sweetly as she took her hand out of Grimmjow's Hollow hole. Needless to say, everyone was a little unnerved by her action, even Ulquiorra. Speaking of which, the Cuatro Espada approached Paradox.

"Now that you are here, what are we to do now?" he asked.

"Oh that's simple," Paradox said. "Come to Ben's universe with us."

Everyone stared at him except for Kyoko, who seemed to have known of this plan.

"Come on…that's it?" Grimmjow yelled. "We're running away!"

"You're not running away," Paradox explained. "But training to become stronger here is far too risky. The Vandenreich could always attack here at any time. Wouldn't it be more preferable to train somewhere safe? Like another universe?"

Nelliel's eyes were wide with childlike wonder, reminding Ben a lot of her kid form. "Another universe? I've often wondered what it was like. I'd love to go there!"

"We'll come too!" Pesche and Dondochakka immediately declared.

Starrk shrugged. "Fine by me."

Ulquiorra considered the offer. Training in a different universe could prove more beneficial than staying here and risk battling the Vandenreich before they were ready. No doubt if it wasn't for Ben's actions, they would have troops here for retaliation. "I shall go as well."

The Tres Bestias looked over at Harribel. Whatever she wanted to do, they would do.

Harribel closed her eyes. Ever since Starrk had offered her the same thing, she had taken it into consideration. And had long since made up her mind. "We will go as well."

The Tres Bestias all nodded their heads respectively.

Everyone now looked at the last member of their little party: Grimmjow.

"Well, Grimmjow?" Ben asked. "You coming along?"

Grimmjow looked off to the side. On one hand, things were getting way too sentimental for his taste. But on the other hand, he could get stronger without having to worry about the Vandenreich wearing him down.

"What choice do I have?"

Ulquiorra, Starrk, Harribel, and Nelliel looked at each other, sharing a knowing look. They would keep an eye on Grimmjow in case he tried anything.

"Hey, wait," Ben realized. "Won't they need gigai to interact with the living world?"

"Not to worry," Paradox said. "I had popped by Kisuke's shop during your time with the Zero Division and had Tessai prepare gigai just in case. We'll just go to the shop, retrieve them, and be on our way. Afterwards I shall return to make sure Nimaiya hasn't tried anything funny with Ichigo."

"In the meantime, I would like to learn more about you Arrancar," Azmuth said, speaking up after all this time.

"Who's the frog?" Apacci asked.

"F-frog?!" Azmuth sputtered. "I am Azmuth of the Galvan!"

"You're Azmuth?" Mila Rose blanched. "A little frog created the Omnitrix?"

"I will have you know that I am the smartest being in over five galaxies!" Azmuth spewed, waving his hands wildly. "I doubt even Aizen could brag about something like that!"

Ben struggled not to laugh at seeing Azmuth act so indignant.

"Alright, everyone," Paradox interrupted cheerfully. "Shall we be on our way?"

Soon the group was engulfed in Paradox's flash of light and vanished from Hueco Mundo.

* * *

Within the pocket dimension the Vandenreich were staying in, the majority of them toiled away at repairing their fortress. And their city. When Grimmjow ran amok, he had done considerable damage to the city though the fortress suffered more due to Ben not only demolishing it but also absorbing the majority of its reishi.

"Damn that Tennyson kid!" shouted the young-looking female Stern Ritter. "We're supposed to be relaxing till the final battle, not wasting precious time rebuilding."

"It could not be helped, Bambietta," said a fairly slim man with narrow eyes and short, dark hair, with pointed bangs that hung between his eyes. "The shape-shifter was a wild card we did not predict. We must accept this loss and improve."

The girl, Bambietta, narrowed her eyes at him. "Cang Du."

"Will this boy be a problem?" asked the Quincy with his (or her) face hidden behind a visor.

"We should assume he is one, BG9," replied the mustached Stern Ritter. "After all, he did all this. And we don't know what his full capabilities are."

Yhwach was sitting off to the side, contemplating, when he became aware of a presence next to him. Haschwalth. "You are back, Haschwalth. And the subject?"

"Right this way," Haschwalth said to someone behind him.

Yhwach smiled at the person. "Glad you could make it…Ishida Uryu."

Sure enough, it was Uryu. And he was wearing a uniform just like the other Vandenreich.

"Now," Yhwach continued, getting to his feet. "Join your brothers in arms, my son. And tell me all you can about the one called Tennyson Ben."

"I do not know much, your majesty," Uryu said with a bow. "But I will tell you what I can."

Yhwach nodded. "That will have to do."

**End of Chapter**

**(*Cue the Empire's theme music now*)**

*** In case anyone didn't know, Suzumushi is the name of Tosen's Zanapkuto.**

**It has come to my attention that I have portrayed Ben as being quite...aggressive when it comes to Shinigami like Yamamoto and the Zero Division. Someone was also concerned with how Ben threatened the Shinigami to leave Harribel and her girls unharmed in the first Volume. It's best if I elaborate on why this happened. You see, Ben doesn't have an overall positive view on the Shinigami. Due to the things he's seen and heard about them, he views them in general as a stuck up, self righteous group with extremely questionable methods. And sadly, the overall system of Soul Society has yet to convince _me _otherwise. **

**Now Ben knows that there are good Shinigami but they are a relative few and are bound by Soul Society's harsh rules. So perhaps I was using Ben to vent my own frustration with Soul Society. But one can't deny that Ben and SS wouldn't see eye to eye anyway. And it's for this reason why he's already on less than positive terms with 2/5 of the Zero Division. But I will try more to keep Ben in check.**

**So next time, the gang arrive in Bellwood. As everyone begins training for the upcoming battle, Ben and Harribel will start getting closer in more ways than one. Yep, the romance will finally start to take place.**

**Bleach: Ultimate Alien is going to be put on Hiatus until I can get my motivation back. I think the issue is that I jammed too many characters into it and the harem pairing is starting to weigh down on me. Hopefully I can get inspiration again soon.**

**The next story I will be updating is my Transformers: Dawn of the Dinobots story.**

**But, I do have something important I need to let everyone know: I'm gonna have to put more focus on my school work and less on my stories for the time being. A lot of my assignments and exams are due close together so I should give them more attention right now. On the plus side, I'm almost finished with my Statistics course so that will definitely take a load off.**

**See you all next chapter!**


	6. Countdown Part 1

**vDisclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or Bleach**

**Special thanks to Pyromania101**

**Hello, everyone! This is Bigby the Big Bad Wolf and I've got some things to say! Lately I've been getting some hate from some Ben 10 fans regarding my Bleach: Omniverse story. They hate the fact that Ben has become so much weaker. While it was understandable that the Bleach characters are (mostly) more powerful than Ben, some of the haters were nice enough to explain to me that they were more upset over the fact that I didn't use Ben's aliens to their full potential. Ben would have a hard time, yes, but he certainly would have done better than how I wrote him. They also didn't like how I wrote Ben's personality.**

**The issue comes from my original version of Bleach: Ultimate Alien, where I made Ben a Gary Stu character who could whoop captain level characters with relative ease. My efforts to reduce this apparently went too far to the point where several consider Ben pathetic. And the personality problems was because I thought I was making Ben OOC in B:UA. Looks like I made him more OOC in Omniverse.**

**Anyway, Bleach: Ultimate Alien is going to be remade and changed to be far more accurate. Something tells me people will be wanting me to remake Bleach: Omniverse too.**

**But good grief. These haters make a big deal just because a guy makes a few mistakes. Haven't they ever heard of character development or improvement? Apparently some of them think if the story isn't perfect right from the get-go, it'll never have great value.**

**Originally I was depressed and angry at all the sudden hate. But now...I want to thank them! Why? Because their words are motivation for me! It's time for me to show this site just how Big and Bad I can really be! So I'm gonna huff, I'm gonna puff, and I'm gonna blow these haters down! I'm the Big Bad Wolf, baby, and it's time to prove it!**

**Countdown Part I: Homecoming**

Sure enough, Ben and his companions found themselves in front of the Urahara Shoten. Ben grinned as his memories from last time filled his mind. A pity Urahara was back in Hueco Mundo but maybe the others were still here.

"Hey, hold on a second," Grimmjow suddenly spoke up. "Ain't Soul Society going to throw a fit when they realize that four Espada-level Arrancar and several others are suddenly in the world of the living?"

"Unlikely," Ulquiorra spoke up. "I suspect Soul Society is far too damaged from the Vandenreich's attack. Even if they detected our presence, I doubt they could send someone capable of combating us."

Just then a though occurred to Ben. "Say, Ulquiorra. How come you're not with Orihime? Aren't you like her protector now?"

Ulquiorra closed her eyes. "Urahara has something he needed her and her friend to do. Loly and Menoly, with great reluctance, are helping them as well. I had intended on accompanying her, especially since Loly despises her, but Inoue-san insisted on going on her own."

Ben crossed his arms. "Will she be alright?"

"Inoue-san has improved greatly during your absence," Ulquiorra replied. "And Loly knows that if she hurts Inoue-san, she will answer to me."

Ben smiled. "You really care about her, don't you?"

Instead of replying, Ulquiorra simply walked past Ben and toward the shop. Ben's grin only grew. "He totally does," he said to the others.

"Tch," Grimmjow rolled his eyes and followed Ulquiorra to the shop.

Ben went up and was about to knock on the door when it suddenly flew open on its own, Tessai standing at the doorway.

"Tennyson-san!" Tessai beamed. "It is so good to see you again!"

Ben laughed. "Hey, Tessai. Glad to see you two."

Tessai looked over and saw who Ben was with. He seemed to tense up at seeing all the Arrancar. His eyes then landed on Paradox, who nodded to him. Tessai gave a brief nod back before looking at the Arrancar again. "I take it you all are here to receive your gigai?"

"We are," Ulquiorra answered, acting like the official spokesperson of the group.

Tessai bowed his head respectfully. "Of course. Ururu, Jinta. We have guests!"

Just then two new figures appeared at the door. Ururu and Jinta. And they had changed too since Ben had left. Ururu's hair was longer and she no longer wore pigtails. Jinta's hair was now slicked back and wore a sleeveless blue shirt, edged with white and grey pants, making him now look like a punk.

Jinta and Ururu looked outside. Ururu's eyes widened a fraction while Jinta's face became pale. "Oh no!" he cried when he saw Ben. "Not you! I thought you were gone for good."

Ben just smiled. "Hey, Jinta. You haven't been bullying Ururu while I've been gone, have you?"

Jinta shook his head furiously. "No way, boss! I never messed with her! I promise!"

The Arrancar (minus Ulquiorra, who didn't seem to care regardless) were all visibly confused by the way Ben and Jinta were acting towards each other.

"Umm…it's okay Tennyson-san," Ururu said softly. "Jinta has been nice to me. Honest."

Ben smiled and gave Ururu a little pat on the head. "Alright, Ururu. If you say so."

Ururu blushed a little at the slight affection when suddenly Nelliel shot forward and engulfed Ururu in a big hug.

"Oooh! You are just so adorable!" Nelliel cooed at her, unintentionally squishing Ururu's face into her breasts. Pesche, Dondochakka, Jinta and Ben all felt their faces redden as they tried to convince the gushing Arrancar to release her "captive". Starrk just groaned, Ulquiorra was utterly unfazed, Grimmjow was highly amused and Tessai seemed to take the shenanigans in stride. Lilynette, Mila Rose, and Apacci were looking at the others with various degrees of irritation. Only Sung-Sun and Harribel remained stoic throughout the whole thing.

Nelliel eventually released Ururu, whose eyes had become swirls as she dazedly wobbled after being freed. Ben quickly caught her and gently placed her up against the wall of the shop.

_'Good thing Nelliel didn't see her in that battle gear,'_ he thought to himself, wondering how said Arrancar would react to Ururu looking even more adorable.

The next thing Ben knew, a pair of arms wrapped around him and he felt two soft…things press up into his back. It only took Ben a second to realize what they were and turned his head, facing a highly amused Yoruichi.

"Hello, Ben," Yoruichi smiled at him. "I was wondering if I'd get to see you once I learned you were back."

Ben groaned, having almost forgotten about Yoruichi's displays of affection. Yet he had a strange feeling that not even Ichigo was subjected to things like this and according to Yoruichi herself, the carrot top had seen her naked! More than once!

Harribel felt herself frowning. Shihoin Yoruichi. The Goddess of the Flash. She was among those listed by Aizen as being a Shinigami to watch out for. But that wasn't what was bothering her. For some reason…she felt uncomfortable with seeing Yoruichi acting like that towards Ben. She shook the confusing feeling away just as Ben managed to free himself from Yoruichi's grasp.

"I heard you told off the Zero Division," Yoruichi said, crossing her arms. "I'm impressed."

Ben shrugged. "Yeah, well…I don't want to talk about that right now."

"You should consider yourself lucky," Tessai told Ben. "The Zero Division is not to be underestimated. They are part of the Zero Division for a reason."

"Ben can handle it," Kyoka said. She had been keeping to the back of the group till now. "Being a one-man army of super-powered aliens has its advantages."

Tessai raised a brow. "And you are?"

Kyoka smiled. "I am the manifested form of Kyoka Suigetsu." Her smile became a smirk at the shock on Tessai and Yoruichi's face. "And I have decided to fight alongside Ben Tennyson."

Ben looked back and forth between Kyoka and the dumbfounded Shinigami. He coughed into his hand. "So…how about those gigai, huh?"

Tessai snapped out of his stupor. "Of course. Ulquiorra-san, yours, Starrk-san's, and Lilynette-chan's already here. Follow me." He went back into the shop with Ururu and Jinta following quickly after him.

Lilynette ground her teeth angrily. "Chan?! I'm not a kid!"

Ben looked at her. "Uh…"

Lilynette pointed a finger at him. "Not a word, Ben. Not a damn word!"

Yoruichi turned to face all the Arrancar, though she did keep a wary eye toward Kyoka Suigetsu. Her eyes landed on Harribel and she smirked again. Harribel raised an eyebrow, confused by Yoruichi's actions. Deciding to put it to the side, she made her way inside the shop, the Tres Bestias immediately behind her. Grimmjow nonchalantly followed, sparing a wary glance at Yoruichi. Nelliel followed with Pesche and Dondochakka close by. Ulquiorra, Starrk, and a fuming Lilynette went after her. Azmuth, who was curious about the techniques of gigai, decided to follow and see for himself. Soon only Ben, Paradox, Yoruichi, and Kyoka were left outside. Yoruichi turned her smirk to Ben now, giving him an unpleasant feeling.

"So that's Harribel," she said. "No wonder you're so crazy about her."

Ben sighed. "Yoruichi, she's just a friend." Seriously, how many times did he have to say that before people got the message?

Yoruichi scoffed. "You consider a gorgeous woman like that a friend? And I thought Ichigo was the only prude here."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I just don't see her that way, that's all."

Kyoka smiled now. "He totally does!"

Ben scowled as Kyoka repeated what he said about Ulquiorra to taunt him.

"But look on the bright side," Yoruichi added. "And at least the two of you can actually spend some time together."

Why did everyone act like there was something going on between them? Honestly. Yes, Harribel was beautiful, noble, caring, thoughtful, smart, strong but still that didn't…

Hold on. Did he…did he really think that highly of Harribel? Ben pondered this. Well it was true. She was beautiful, that went without saying; she was noble, especially compared to most Arrancar; she was both caring and thoughtful to her Fraccion;she was quite intelligent and powerful enough to be the Tercera Espada.

Ben froze. Was it possible that he did feel something for Harribel? How? They more or less had just met. Though in all fairness, Ben had gotten to know her quite well. And Ben was a moron if he said she hadn't been on his mind once in a while back in his own universe.

"Okay," he admitted. "Maybe I...kinda like her." He frowned at the big grins on the two girls' faces. "But it doesn't matter. There's no way I'd ever stand a chance with her."

This time Yoruichi was taken aback. "The great Ben 10? Being humble?"

"What makes you think you don't stand a chance?" Kyoka asked, also confused.

Ben snorted. "Come on. Why would Harribel be into a guy like me? The whole age difference thing aside, I'm pretty sure I'm not her type."

"And you know what her type is?" Yoruichi questioned.

"No," Ben admitted. "But…"

"I think you have a very good chance," Kyoka added. "The only man she ever respected before was Aizen…till he turned on her. But you? You've saved her more than once. If that doesn't count for something, I don't know what could."

Ben wanted to argue some more when the door to the shop opened and Tessai poked his head out. "Yoruichi-san. Are you coming?"

"On my way," Yoruichi replied. She looked back over at Ben before going inside. Ben looked over at Kyoka now. "Say. How come you don't need a gigai?"

Kyoka smiled. "Paradox and Azmuth had already taken care of everything."

Ben looked over at Paradox, who had been strangely silent throughout the entire conversation. The Time Walker simply smiled back. The door opened again and Ulquiorra, Starrk, and Lilynette came out in their gigai. Ulquiorra was wearing a trench coat and a suit.

"Nice look," Ben complimented.

"The gigai are complete but the others needs clothes," Ulquiora explained, ignoring Ben's compliment. Having been told in advance, Yoruichi had gotten several articles of clothing for the females to wear.

Ben tilted his head. Lilynette noticed. "What's the matter with you?"

"I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this," Ben said aloud.

"Azmuth is still in there as well, learning about gigai," Starrk said. "Glad that Urahara guy isn't here."

Ben laughed at that. He could just imagine Urahara teaching Azmuth all he could about Shinigami.

At that moment Grimmjow came out. He was wearing jeans and some sort of Letterman jacket with a button up under shirt that was deliberately unbuttoned, showing his abs.

Kyoka smirked. "Nice look."

Grimmjow flipped his middle finger at Kyoka. "So the girls out yet?"

"Not yet," Ben replied. Grimmjow leaned against the wall of the shop with disinterest.

Next came Pesche and Dondochakka. Ben was taken aback by how normal they looked without their goofy masks. Pesche had blonde hair while Dondochakka had a deep brown. Both were wearing greyish suits and surprisingly cleaned up well.

Just then Yoruichi came out. And she looked pleased. Ben was getting worried again. "What are you smiling for?"

"You'll see~," Yoruichi taunted. That didn't make Ben feel any better.

The door opened once again and out came Nelliel. She was wearing jeans and a tight green shirt that showed her midriff and looked strained against her bust. Ben had a feeling that Yoruichi had deliberately given Nelliel a shirt that was a little small on her. Next came Sung-Sun Sung-Sun. She was wearing a white dress with a purple jacket over her. Mila Rose and Apacci followed her. Both were wearing jeans and white under-shirts. Apacci wore a sleeveless vest. Mila Rose was wearing a red jacket over hers.

"Thank you for these clothes," Sung-Sun gave Yoruichi a polite bow. Apacci and Mila Rose looked at each other before facing Yoruichi and giving stiff bows as well.

"So…where's Harribel?" Ben asked.

"Oh she's coming," Yoruichi said, her smile growing and Ben's apprehension increasing.

The door opened one more time. Ben assumed it was Harribel and turned to greet her. But his words died in his throat.

Harribel was wearing a full-body leather jumpsuit, making her look exactly like a biker chick. It hugged her body perfectly and the zipper on her suit was zipped down to show a generous portion of her cleavage.

Paradox chuckled as he went up to Ben and closed the boy's now hanging jaw. Ben shook his head to snap out of his suddenly dazed stupor, blushing at the looks Yoruichi and Kyoka were giving him.

Harribel had noticed Ben's reaction as well. It wasn't something new, she was used to men giving her various looks before and simply ignored them. And yet…she felt somewhat flattered that she had an effect like that on Ben. What were these strange feelings she was suddenly having? And what did Ben have to do with them?

Sung-Sun had noticed the way Ben had gaped at her mistress and decided to file that information away for later.

"So," Ben said, trying to move on. "I guess this is where we head home?"

Paradox chuckled. "Of course."

Ben looked at Yoruichi and Tessai. "Wish I could've stayed longer, but we need to get going."

Tessai bowed. "We understand. Good-bye Tennyson-san."

"And good luck," Yoruichi with a wink. Ben scowled as he, Paradox, Azmuth, Kyoka, and the Arrancar were yet again engulfed by the blue light of Paradox's power.

* * *

The light faded shortly and the gang found themselves standing at Mr. Smoothy's. Ben's face lit up at the sight.

"There's no place like home," he said with a sigh. Mr. Smoothy's was a wonderful sight for sore eyes.

"So this is where you live," Mila Rose looked around. "Rather…ordinary."

Starrk snorted. "Trust me, you'll learn differently very soon. Especially when you visit Undertown."

Mila Rose raised an eyebrow. "Undertown?"

"I'll show you some time," Ben said. "But first, I need to let Grandpa and the others know that I'm back."

"Max Tennyson," Ulquiorra noted. "Your grandfather and a high ranking Plumber. I assume that we will also be introduced to your cousin Gwen Tennyson and your friend Kevin Levin."

Ben grinned. "Yeah. Of course I'd introduce you guys to them."

Ulquiorra's interest was piqued. Eon had told the Espada about Gwen Tennyson and Kevin Levin among the list of Ben's allies. Apparently Gwen and Ben's grandmother belonged to a race of powerful aliens called Anodites, who could manipulate the life energy called mana on a reality warping scale. Yet she purposefully limited herself. How strange. All that power and yet she preferred staying as a weaker human. Why?

"Well, Ben," Paradox said. "I believe you have everything well in hand here. I must be on my way now."

"As do I," Azmuth said. "Though I must say this little trip has been quite educational. Shinigami, Arrancar, Zanpakuto…it was actually invigorating to learn something new."

Ben laughed. "Glad the trip was worth your while, Azmuth."

Azmuth nodded. "Take care, Ben Tennyson. You will need it for the trials ahead."

Ben nodded. The upcoming battle with the Vandenreich. "I'll be ready."

Azmuth smiled. "Good luck." And suddenly he disappeared, having returned back to his home world. Paradox then vanished as well. With them gone, everyone looked at Ben.

"So…what now?" Lilynette asked. "Call Gwen and Kevin?"

"Pretty much," Ben said. "Not much else we can do right now."

"I can call them on my cellphone," Lilynette offered, whipping it out. As part of her and Starrk integrating into the living world, both had been given cellphones in case they needed to contact people. Ben, Kevin, Gwen, and Grandpa Max were on their speed dial. Lilynette punched in Gwen's number and brought it to her ear. "Hey, Gwen. It's me. We're back and we brought some others along. …We'll be waiting for you by Mr. Smoothy's…Okay, see you then!" She hung up. "Gwen and Kevin will be on their way."

"Thanks, Lilynette," Ben said. "In the meantime, how about I introduce you guys to the wonderful world of smoothies?"

* * *

And so the majority of the group sat down and helped themselves to smoothies. The only ones who didn't were Harribel, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow. While everyone was disturbed by Ben's strange taste in drinks, they stuck with just getting regular flavors.

"These are delicious!" Nelliel squealed, taking a huge sip out of hers.

"Absolutely!" Pesche cried before drinking some of his own smoothie.

"Best thing I've ever drank!" Dondochakka added.

"Eh, not bad," Apacci said, though she showed no signs of stopping.

"Sure beats that tea Aizen always served," Mila Rose admitted.

"Anything is more preferable than something Aizen enjoys," Sung-Sun pointed out.

"That is quite true," Kyoka said. "Despite having some creativity, he had rather bland tastes."

Ben looked over at the three not participating. "Aren't you going to have some?"

"I have no interest in drinking some flavored ice," Ulquiorra replied.

"That's a slushie," Ben said. "Smoothies are totally different."

"I appreciate the gesture, Ben Tennyson," Harribel said. "But I am not thirsty."

"Not interested," Grimmjow snapped, looking away with a bored expression.

Ben shrugged. "Suit yourself but you don't know what you're missing."

Everyone's attention was drawn to a car horn. Ben grinned as he recognized Kevin's car pulling in. Once the car was parked, Kevin and Gwen hopped out.

"Ben!" Gwen cried, running over to her cousin. The two happily hugged.

"Hey, buddy." Kevin greeted. "Didn't stay as long this time."

Ben just chuckled as the two fist bumped.

Gwen looked over at the group gathered around them. "Who are they?"

"Oh, right," Ben cleared his throat. "Guys, I'd like you to meet some friends I brought from the other universe. This is Kyoka Suigetsu..."

Kyoka bowed. "I am honored to meet the cousin and best friend of Ben Tennyson."

"Nelliel…"

Nelliel bowed too. "It's nice to meet you."

"Pesche and Dondochakka…"

The duo struck poses. "Hey, how ya doing?"

"Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun…"

Apacci simply looked at them before going back to her smoothy, Mila Rose gave a short wave, and Sung-Sun nodded her head at them.

"Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Harribel."

Ulquiorra looked them but didn't reply, Grimmjow just looked in the other direction, but Harribel got up and went over to Gwen and Kevin. "Hello Gwen Tennyson, Kevin Levin. I have heard much about the two of you and it is an honor."

Gwen and Kevin were gawking at Harribel. Gwen recovered first. "N-nice to meet you too," she said before noticing Kevin was still gawking and elbowed him.

"Um yeah. Nice to meet you," Kevin grinned sheepishly.

"So," Gwen said. "What brings you all here?"

"They're here to train without the Vandenreich trying to hurt them," Ben said.

"Train?" Gwen asked.

"There's going to be a war coming," Harribel explained. "We need to become stronger to face the Vandenreich. Ben suggested we go to his universe, where we could train without worrying about them."

"Smart idea," Kevin commented. "Nobody would ever think of looking for you in another universe."

"Figured I should let you guys know first," Ben said. "First we need to do is find a place for them to stay at. Then we can worry about training."

"I think you should go see your parents first," Gwen said. "They were pretty worried when they learned you were leaving again."

Ben felt guilty at that. It's not like he wanted them to worry. But maybe saying good-bye to them before heading out would have been nice.

"We can all walk there," Kevin said, receiving surprised looks from Gwen and Ben. "What? We can't fit all those people in my car. Maybe if Ben still had his car, this wouldn't be a problem."

Ben rolled his eyes. Just because he gave his mom his car as a gift, Kevin had to make a big deal out of it. Though…Ben really did need a new form of transportation.

"I can call my car to me whenever I want," Kevin added. "Besides, I think we've got lots to catch up on."

Ben had a funny feeling about this but he decided to go along with it. "Come on, everybody!" he called. "We're heading out."

"Finally," Grimmjow said as he got up. "Started getting boring as hell."

Gwen glared at Grimmjow's vulgar language while Kevin grinned. "I like this guy."

"You say that now…" Ben muttered, remembering his past encounters with Grimmjow.

One by one, the Arrancar and Kyoka started getting up from their seats, throwing away their smoothies.

"So we're heading to your house, Ben?" Starrk asked.

Ben nodded. "Follow me."

With that, the gang followed Ben, Gwen, and Kevin as they led the way to Ben's house.

"So where's Rook?" Ben asked his cousin and best friend.

"He's at Plumber HQ," Gwen answered. "With you gone, he needed something to keep himself occupied."

"So," Kevin whispered to Ben. "That's Harribel. Good taste."

Ben groaned. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Well…you did kinda speak pretty fondly of her whenever you told us about your adventures in that other universe," Gwen said.

Ben hit his forehead. Had he really acted like some little kid with his first ever crush?

"Imagine how your parents will react to your girlfriend," Kevin grinned.

Ben was about to argue that Harribel was NOT his girlfriend, but the moment he opened his mouth, he realized that there was no point in bothering. So he just closed his mouth and hung his head in defeat.

Regardless, Kevin did have a point. How were his parents going to react when they meet all of Ben's newfound friends?

* * *

Soon the gang reached Ben's house.

"Well," Ben said to the gang. "Here we are."

"So this is where you live," Mila Rose said. Nothing really extraordinary about it. From the way Eon talked about Ben, she assumed that he lived in the lap of luxury.

"It's not much," Ben admitted. "But it's home." Taking a deep breath, he went to the door. This was going to be interesting. He opened the door and stuck his head in. "Mom? Dad?"

Sandra's head popped out of the kitchen and smiled. "Ben!" She ran forward and hugged her son. "You're back!"

Ben grunted at the tight hug. "Yeah, mom. I'm back."

Sandra released Ben and frowned. "Couldn't you have told us you were going on another adventure?"

Ben scratched his neck. "Sorry, mom. I should have told you."

Sandra's face softened now. "It's okay, Ben. I'm just glad you're here now."

Ben smiled. "Hey, mom. I have some people I would like you to meet."

* * *

In the Vandenreich's dimension, Yhwach used some of the remaining rubble as a makeshift chair as he contemplated things. Uryu's information regarding Ben Tennyson was next to useless. All he could tell them was that the device was called the Omnitrix and the boy had numerous forms with various abilities. While Uryu named a few forms such as "Big Chill", "Heatblast" or "Terraspin", it wasn't nearly enough to make a strong assumption about Ben. How could they prepare against this boy?

"I'm sorry I could not provide you with more information, Your Majesty," Uryu said with a bow.

"Considering that you and Ben Tennyson barely interacted," Yhwach said, "Your limited information is understandable. However, I do not wish to engage the boy again until we have a proper understanding of his power."

"Having a bit of trouble, are you?"

Yhwach immediately shot up at that voice. He knew it well. Standing before him was none other than...

"Eon!" Yhwach snarled at the smirking criminal.

Immediately, all Vandenreich stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on this sudden intruder. How did he get here? And how did they not notice him? All began drawing their weapons.

"Now, now," Eon said pleasantly, raising his hands in a placating manner. "There's no need for such hostilities. I am not your enemy here."

Yhwach's glare only intensified. "Why have you come, Eon?" He didn't to ask how Eon got there. Considering the man's own impressive assortment of powers, Yhwach wasn't surprised.

Eon smiled. "Why, to give you some information to help you against Ben Tennyson. He certainly did a number on this place while you were gone, didn't he?"

Yhwach raised an eyebrow. "So you are deciding to work with us?"

Eon shook his head. "I have my own plans. However, since you will be going up against Ben Tennyson, you have the right to be properly prepared, don't you?"

Yhwach's frown deepened. Eon couldn't just be telling them this out of altruism. He knew there was an ulterior motive for this. But he would play along for the time being.

"What can you tell us about this Ben Tennyson?" Yhwach asked.

Eon's smile became a cruel smirk. "First off, there is one alien most dangerous of all that you should watch out for. It is called Alien X. And it has the power over reality itself."

Just as the Espada before them, the Vandenreich were visibly shaken by this news.

"You're joking!" shouted the Quincy with the red mohawk.

"Alien X is part of a race called the Celestialsapiens," Eon explained, "Who can change the fabric of the universe with a mere thought. If it was possible, he could restore the Shinigamis' Bankai, resurrect Yamamoto, or even…erase all of you from existence itself." Now Eon was struggling not to laugh at the horror-filled looks on their faces. Granted, their fear was reasonable. But since Eon knew better…

"Tell me," Yhwach interrupted, "If Ben Tennyson could use this Alien X for all this things, why hasn't he?"

Eon really did laugh this time. "Ah, very good. You see, Alien X is a rather tricky form to use and Ben does not have full control over it. I do not wish to bore you with the details but Alien X has three personalities, including Ben. And the only way they can get anything done is if they agree with each other. And the chances of that happening are not very likely."

The Vandenreich were starting to relax a bit after hearing this news. "Well that sucks," Bambietta said. "What's the point of having such a useless alien?"

Eon's smile turned wicked again as he faced her. And she was greatly uncomfortable with it. "Because of the benefits you'll get when it actually does work." He turned back to Yhwach. "Of course, even without Alien X, the boy has an impressive assortment of aliens at his disposal already. Your Majesty is familiar with the alien known as Feedback, an alien who specializes in absorbing energy. Including reishi. I highly recommend you watch out for him as his powers could be used as a counter-balance to your own."

"Why are you being so free with this information?" A suspicious BG9 asked.

Eon tapped his chin. "Why it's quite simple. Soul Society is aware of your location, Ben has set back your own plans, and he is the Shinigamis' ace in the hole. If something wasn't done to tip the scale, this would be far too boring."

That struck a nerve with the Vandenreich. "Boring?!" the mohawk guy shouted. "Are we just entertainment to you?!"

Eon turned to the shouter. "Yes. Yes you are."

Yelling, the man shot toward Eon. But before he could attack, Eon grabbed the man's arm. All the Vandenreich's eyes widened as the guy's arm started aging rapidly. He struggled to break free of Eon but to no avail.

"Bazz B!" Bambietta shouted in concern.

Now Eon's smirk turned purely sadistic as he released Bazz B, whose arm was now old, wrinkled, and withered.

"My arm!" Bazz B shouted. He glared at Eon, who calmly raised his hand. Bazz B looked down at his arm as it suddenly began turning back to its original state.

"That was your only warning and a mere fraction of my power," Eon told him coldly. "Try that again and I will age you into dust."

Bazz B glared at Eon but kept his mouth shut, something that the other Vandenreich considered quite the accomplishment.

"I give you this information of my own free will," Eon said, looking over at Yhwach. "But do not take me lightly."

Yhwach clenched his fists. Eon was becoming more and more of a nuisance. However, the man was also the only one who could give them information on Ben Tennyson. So for now, Yhwach would have to tolerate his presence.

"I understand, Eon," he said. "And believe me, your help is greatly appreciated. What else can you tell us about Ben Tennyson?"

* * *

Back in Ben's universe, Carl and Sandra needed to sit down as Ben explained everything to the best of his abilities. Needless to say they were surprised by the strange assortment of people Ben led into the house. They were both put off by the punkish Grimmjow and Sandra was a bit disapproving of the leather clad Harribel, but soon Ben got them settled down and began tell his story. The two were amazed as Ben, with help from Kyoka and the Arrancar, told the two about his adventures in the other universe. They were a bit unnerved about Hollows and Arrancar but Ben quickly soothed their fears. Once Ben got to the part about the Vandenreich, particularly his rescue of Harribel, Sandra had wrapped said Arrancar in a comforting hug. The Tercera Espada was caught off guard by the sudden gesture but she was moved by the warmth and comfort Sandra was giving her. Soon Ben concluded his story.

"And now they're in my universe to get away from the Vandenreich," Ben ended.

"Well I certainly don't blame you," Sandra said. "Those Vandenreich are horrible. I can't believe they would treat other living beings like that. Err…" She remembered that none of them were technically alive. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Mrs. Tennyson," Nelliel said with a smile.

"I wanted them to meet you all before we start looking for a place they can stay at," Ben said, getting up from his spot.

"Easier said than done," Kevin said. "Starrk and Lilynette have a place but what about the others? Where in Bellwood can we put them all?"

"We could try Undertown," Gwen said. Seeing the looks on the group's faces, she explained. "It's a literally underground city where all kinds of aliens are living at."

"We've been there a few times," Starrk said. "Nice place to visit but not one I'd want to stay at."

Ben scratched his head. There had to be someplace they could send the Arrancar. Undertown wasn't a good idea for a variety of reasons. It was packed enough already and there was a high chance of Grimmjow trying to start fights with some of the inhabitants. He didn't know anywhere in Bellwood they could do. None of the Arrancar had any money on them.

As Ben ran through his mind on what to do, there was a sudden knock at the door. Everyone turned as the door opened and Grandpa Max came in.

"Grandpa!" Ben and Gwen beamed happily.

"Hey, you two," Grandpa Max said cheerfully. He noticed the Arrancar in the room. Rather than asking who they were like everyone expected, Grandpa Max simply smiled. "So these are the Arrancar."

Well that took everyone by surprise. "Grandpa," Ben said. "...how do you know...?"

"Azmuth was here a few day ago," Max explained, shocking Ben even further. He and Paradox told me everything and that they were preparing something for you when you returned."

"They did?" Ben asked with a frown "But why didn't they bother tell me?"

"They wanted it to be a surprise," Max replied. "And something tells me they couldn't resist being theatrical."

Ben sighed. "Figures. So what is it they prepared for us?"

"Paradox said it was some kind of training ground. A man by the name of Urahara apparently taught him it."

Ben's eyes widened. A training ground? Like the one Urahara had under his shop and the Vizards had in their hideout?

"Where is it?" He asked.

"Follow me," Max said as he headed out the door.

Everyone looked at each other before looking at Ben, as if he was their leader in this whole affair.

"Well," He said to the others. "Might as well."

* * *

Several of the Vandenreich were laughing their heads off as Eon informed them of Ben's aliens.

"Seriously?" Bambietta laughed. "He's got a dinosaur form he calls Humongousaur?"

"And a frog alien called Bullfrag?" Bazz B mocked.

"Or how about a jellyfish called AmpFibian?"

"And can you believe he has his own little battle-cry?" said a tall and well-endowed woman, with long, light-colored hair and prominent eyelashes. Her attire was a rather revealing version of the regular Stern Ritter's uniform, consisting of a double-breasted jacket, which was tied up to reveal her midriff and unbuttoned to display her generous cleavage, along with a pair of short-shorts which were held up by a black belt with a love heart attached to the side. She also wore a white cap on her head. "'It's Hero Time?' How childish can you get?"

"I think it's kinda cute," said a girl with long, dark-colored hair extending down to her lower back, with two strands sticking up like antennae. Her attire was a variation of the Stern Ritter's uniform, consisting of a trench coat with long sleeves, white shoes, and black leggings complete with a small cap she wore on the side of her head. "He certainly sounds like someone to have fun with."

"Do not underestimate him!" Eon bellowed, shutting them all up in an instant. "Aizen made that very mistake and look what happened."

Yhwach's frown couldn't be any deeper. Eon had told them the powers of all the aliens Ben could currently become. Energy absorbing, mastery over different elements, controlling time itself!

"We need to kill Ben Tennyson as soon as possible," Yhwach declared. "Even with your information, he still has more forms he could unlock to counter us."

"Good luck with that," Eon said. "The boy and his Arrancar friends are no longer in this universe. They left to prepare without worrying of you coming for them."

"What?!" Yhwach snarled.

"However, I can help," Eon said calmly. "I have learned many things during the Time War and finally obtained the knowledge to travel to other universes. While my power would be more effective with Paradox's Chronomorphic Navigator, I am more than capable of sending other people back to Ben's universe."

Yhwach now had a wide grin on his face. They still had a chance to get Ben Tennyson out of the way.

"Let me go!" Bazz B volunteered. "That bastard needs to pay for what he did to our base!"

"No," Yhwach snapped, startling Bazz B. "I need all of the Stern Ritter here. While eliminating Ben Tennyson is important, destroying Soul Society is our top priority."

"If I may suggest," Eon said. "Why not send one of your Arrancar servants after the boy?"

"One of the Arrancar?" Haschwalth asked. "Why? It's obvious the boy would rather help them."

"And that's the beauty of it," Eon pointed out. "The boy will be too busy holding back, trying to convince whatever servant you send to turn against you. They can exploit that and use it to finish him off."

"And if they consider Ben's offer to turn against us?" Yhwach asked, posing a very good question.

Eon smiled maliciously. "Why not give them some…incentive to stay loyal?"

Yhwach had a smile that rivaled Eon's. "I believe I like the way you think, Eon."

* * *

"I think I've died and gone to Heaven," Kevin said dreamily.

Max Tennyson led the gang to what appeared to be an old abandoned house on the outskirts of Bellwood. It looked like nobody had lived there in years.

"This where we're supposed to stay?" Apacci had yelled. "This is a dump!"

Then Max chuckled at her. "Wait till you get inside."

Not sure what to expect, the gang went inside the house. And that's what led Kevin to say he was in Heaven.

Unlike the Vizard's warehouse, which was pretty much a dump, this was one filled with all the luxuries of pleasant living. It was more like a mansion. Fine furniture, intricate design, a large screen TV. Everyone except for Max was dumbstruck.

"Professor Paradox and Azmuth did this?" Gwen asked Max.

"Paradox said he wanted the Arrancar to live comfortably while they were staying here," Max explained, highly amused by everyone's reactions.

"Comfortable is right," Kevin said, running towards the giant screen TV hanging on the wall. Gwen went over to the kitchen and found it stuffed with loads of food and cooking utensils. Ben went upstairs and found plenty of well furnished bedrooms. It looked like there was enough for twenty people or more.

"But…why does it look so crappy on the outside?" Lilynette asked in confusion.

Max frowned for a moment at Lilynette saying such a word before replying. "Holographic projection. I want to show you all something else." He led them over to one door and opened. Inside the group found a control room. "This controls all parts of the house and monitors the surrounding area. Paradox told me that you can all look after yourselves but security defenses were installed into the house as well. I'll show you all how to operate the system."

Kevin nodded in approval as he faced the Arrancar. "You guys have it made."

"I am quite impressed," Kyoka said as she examined everything. "Not quite as extravagant as the palaces of Hueco Mundo but still very nice."

"Comfortable living is unimportant," Ulquiorra stated. As usual, he was the only one other than Max to be amazed by their new home. "We need to train for the upcoming battle against the Vandenreich."

Max nodded. "I understand. He pressed a (perhaps unsurprisingly) big red button. When he did, a large hole opened up in the living room of the house. Everyone gathered around the hole till Ben spotted a ladder. He climbed down and as he descended, he was greeted to a sight similar to the training area under Urahara's shop. And it was just as big too.

"Whoa!" Kevin exclaimed as he and the others began climbing down.

"This place is huge," Gwen commented as she looked around.

"Amazing," Pesche said, almost slipping in his descent.

"Sure is big here," Dondochakka added, trying to not to climb down too fast and risk bumping into other people.

Once everyone had climbed the ladder, they took in the scenery.

"This seems adequate for what we require," Ulquiorra said, not displaying any emotion at all as per usual.

"It looks so realistic," Nelliel said, looking up at the "sky" of the place.

Starrk looked ahead. The place seemed to stretch for miles. But he couldn't tell if it was really that long or merely looked so.

"This should work," Harribel said as she looked around. She turned toward Max. "Please tell Paradox and Azmuth know that we appreciate what they have done for us."

Max smiled. "I will."

"Max Tennyson," Ulquiorra said. "Show me how to work the operating systems. While I am more concerned with us preparing for the Vandenreich, it is important for us to take decent care of our new lodgings."

"Sure thing," Max said as he headed back toward the ladder. "Follow me." Ulquiorra immediately followed without another word.

"I'm gonna check out that big screen TV," Kevin said as he headed toward the ladder.

Gwen groaned. "Kevin…" Nonetheless she followed right after him.

"I'm going to check out the rooms," Nelliel said as she also made her way to the ladder.

"Wait for us, Nelliel-sama!" Pesche and Dondochakka called as they went after her.

Starrk shrugged and went after the group with Lilynette in pursuit.

"What do you want us to do, Harribel-sama?" Sung-Sun asked, she and the rest of the Tres Bestias looking at their leader.

"You girls can go on if you want," Harribel told them. "We won't be training yet. It's been a long day. You deserve some rest."

The girls respectively bowed before following the others, leaving only Ben, Kyoka, and Harribel left in the training area. At first there was nothing but awkward silence. Finally Ben got the nerve to speak.

"So…what's up?" He resisted the urge to smack himself. Was 'what's up' really the best he could say? Kyoka smiled at Ben being so...what was that word? Adorkable?

Harribel said nothing as she crossed her arms and looked off to the side. Ben could tell something was on her mind and wondered if he should risk asking what is.

"Ben Tennyson," she said all of a sudden. "Will you train with me?"

Ben blinked in surprise. "Train?"

"The others deserve their rest, but I can't. I wasn't strong enough to stop the Vandenreich. I failed Hueco Mundo, I failed my Fraccion, and I failed myself."

Ben decided to risk it and put a comforting hand on Harribel's shoulder. "You didn't fail anyone, Harribel. You had no idea what the Vandenreich were capable of."

"But I do now," Harribel said. "I need to become stronger than I am so that next time we meet…they will pay for what they did to me."

Ben knew he couldn't blame Harribel after what she had been through. She had every right to be angry. "Alright," he said. "I'll train with you."

"Thank you," Harribel reached into her cleavage (causing Ben's face to blush at the action) and pulled out what appeared to be some kind of a medallion with a skull engulfed in blue flames. She went over to the ladder and then pressed the medallion against her forehead. Her spiritual body left the gigai, which she quickly caught and placed next to the ladder before facing Ben. "Let us make some distance. I do not wish to damage my gigai with our training."

"Can I come along?" Kyoka asked. "I don't have anything better to do at the moment."

"If you wish," Harribel said. "Come."

Ben nodded as he followed her. He wasn't sure how wide this place was but it sure looked wide enough to him. He wasn't sure how far they had walked but when he looked back, he could barely see the ladder. Just how big did Paradox make this place?!

"Ready?" Harribel asked.

Ben grinned. "Ready!"

Harribel raised her blade. "Destroy! Tiburon!"

As before, Harribel was engulfed by water before cutting herself out. Confidently, Ben activated the Omnitrix, scrolled through his aliens before hitting the dial down. When the green flash ended, Heatblast stood in Ben's place.

"Heatblast?" Harribel asked. "You were quite hesitant to use this form against me in our last battle."

Heatblast shrugged. "Yeah, I wasn't thinking last time. Come to think of it, I noticed that I hadn't been using my aliens the best I could while I was back in your universe."

Harribel raised a brow. "Are you saying you were going easy on us?"

Heatblast shook his head. "No, I'm just saying I could have been fighting way better."

"Is that so?" Harribel asked. "Let's see if you can prove that." She raised her blade. "Afraid of having your fire put out?"

Heatblast chuckled as he raised his fists. "Against me, you'll be nothing but steam."

"We'll see," Harribel said as she readied herself.

Kyoka smiled. _This should be interesting._

The Pyronite and the Tercera Espada lunged at each other.

**End of Chapter**

**Sorry there's no action in this chapter. But believe me, there will be in the next one! Now onto business:**

**Some will obvious be annoyed by the fact that Ben is just now realizing that he could have fought better in Volume I. This wasn't mean to ruin his intelligence. It was a LAMPSHADE over how poorly he was fighting in Volume I. In short, Ben is acknowledging that he was being stupid in Volume I and that he's going to change that now. Honestly, real life writers do this all the time. Can't Fanfiction writers do the same?**

**Following this chapter, I'm going to take a break from this story and pursue my other works. Namely my Transformers Prime: Dawn of the Dinobots story which I really need to stop neglecting. Speaking of Transformers, anybody know any good ideas to cross that over with? I'd love to make a crossover story starring my favorite character Grimlock, but I can't think of any.**

**I'm also going to try and make some headway in my Ben 10/One Piece crossover idea. No doubt some of my haters are going to start saying "Don't do it. You'll just make it suck like you did your other stories." And if any of them do happen to think that, I accept that challenge and I will gladly prove them wrong.**

**On the plus side, I am grateful to all the readers who actually do enjoy this story and understand the methods in my madness. I hope the upcoming chapters will please you all greatly. Take care, everyone!**


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